CASE STUDY - OIL SPILL IN THE NIGERIAN DELTA REGION

Abstract

ABSTRACT On 17th March 2006 an Improvised Explosive Device damaged a manifold on a pipeline, resulting in a release of Brass River crude into the Brass River itself. As soon as the spill was noticed the pipeline was shut down and the resultant release was contained by a series of booms, although an undefined amount escaped into the river. Over flights revealed a large volume of black oil from a position north of the manifold down to the mouth of the river. This was located to the eastern shoreline, with a sheen extending though out the river and extending approximately 6 kilometres offshore. It was estimated that a volume of 8000 to 9000 barrels of oil could have spilt into the river. The objectives for the personnel attending were to;Determine the fate of the oilDetermine the environmental impacts of the oil on the topography of the areaDetermine near shore and shoreline impacted areasGive technical advice to optimise time and resources for maximum oil recovery The area around the Brass River is mainly mangrove swamps and tree forests with several local communities situated adjacent to areas of sandy beach. The paper discusses the review and choice of appropriate spill management strategies; namely: mechanical recoveries, monitor & evaluate, contain & collect. It will also look in to the initial estimation and quantification of the spill as well as tracking the recorded volumes of oil throughout the duration of the spill. It concludes that the use of booms to contain the oil and then use a recovery device to recover the oil was the correct course of action to take with any black oil that escaped requiring manual clean-up either in the river or on the beach areas. The paper discusses the effectiveness of the interface with the local Tier 2 contractor, the client and the local authorities and also reviews the security measures that were in place for expatriate personnel, especially when outside guarded facilities.