Shell attributes drop in Nigeria oil spills to six-month shutdown

Shell reported a sharp fall in oil spill as a result of sabotage in Nigeria’s oil-rich Delta in 2022.

This is said to be a reflection of the closure of operations for six months in the wake of attacks.

Specifically, Shell said the volume of crude oil spilled caused by sabotage in the Delta fell to 600 tonnes from 3,300 tonnes the previous year.

Shell said this in its annual report, adding that the number of such spills fell to 75 from 106.

“The decreased number of incidents in 2022 correlates with a shutdown of production for about six months because of an unprecedented increase of crude oil theft from the Trans Niger,” it said.

Shell is the operator of Nigeria’s main onshore oil and gas joint venture SPDC which has struggled for years with operational incidents, theft and sabotage.