LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell PLC spilled nearly 14,000 tons of crude oil into the creeks of the Niger Delta last year, the company said Tuesday, blaming thieves and militants for the environmental damage.
The amount of oil spilled by Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary was more than double the amount that poured into the delta in 2008, and quadruple what was spilled in 2007 — highlighting the worsening situation the oil major faces in Nigeria.
Shell said it was able to recover nearly 10,000 tons of last year’s spilled oil.
But the company faces regular attacks by militants who have targeted pipelines, kidnapped petroleum company workers and fought government troops since 2006 in seeking a larger share of the nation’s oil revenues for the impoverished region.
The delta is a maze of sensitive creeks and swamplands.
Shell announced the spills in its annual environmental impact report, and blamed the majority of the spills on two incidents — one in which thieves damaged a wellhead at its Odidi field, and another where militants bombed the Trans Escravos pipeline.
"Nigeria, especially the Niger Delta, remains a very challenging place in which to operate," Shell CEO Peter Voser said in the report. "Security issues and sabotage are constant threats to our people, assets and the environment. But we are cautiously optimistic that conditions there are improving."
The company also quadrupled its original estimate of oil spilled in 2008 to 8,800 tons, blaming November 2008 explosion at its Iriama field for the increase in its estimate.
