Oil producing company, Shell Nigeria, on Monday, September 26, shut the Trans Niger Pipeline, TNP, a key oil pipeline in Nigeria, which carries Bonny Light crude oil for export.
The pipeline was shut after a fire was observed on the right of the way of the pipeline at Gio in Ogoni land. It is also the right of way of the Bonny – Refinery pipeline belonging to the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of NNPC.
Shell spokesman Precious Okolobo in a text to DailyTrust, said:“A joint investigation visit will determine the cause and impact of the fire.”
“SPDC (Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited) has shut the TNP as a precautionary measure pending the investigation,” he added.
Shell had only recently repaired and reopened the pipeline after it was shut for repairs June 8 following a leak. The TNP transports around 180,000 barrels of crude oil per day to the Bonny Export Terminal and is part of the gas liquids evacuation infrastructure critical for continued domestic power generation (Afam VI power plant) and liquefied gas exports, according to Shell’s website.
With operations through the pipeline shut, Nigeria’s crude oil export capacity is negatively impacted by a reduction of at least 180, 000 barrels per day. Again, gas supplies to Afam VI power plant and other critical plants necessary for power generation and supply to parts of the country could be constrained.
The pipeline shut down comes less than five days after The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) claimed it brought down oil productions activities at the Bonny 48 inches crude oil export line.
