Bonga Spill: ERA/FoEN Urges FG To Verify Spill Volumes Independently

caption: Fishermen in Odioma

The Nigerian government must as a duty to communities of the Niger Delta that suffer endless spills in their environment, ensure independent ways of verifying the amounts of spilled crude disclosed by the oil companies, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoEN) has demanded.

The call is coming on the heels of Shell's forced shut down of its 200,000 barrel-a-day Bonga field after an alleged leak during a tanker loading caused which what may be Nigeria’s worst offshore spill in more than a decade.

Media reports indicated that an export line from the Bonga floating production, storage and offloading vessel caused the leak, which Shell estimated at below 40,000 barrels of crude in a statement issued immediately after the incident.

The Director of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Dr. Idris Musa was quoted as saying the agency was aware of the incident and working hard with Shell to contain the spill.

But in a statement issued in Lagos, ERA/FoEN maintains that the new spill, which adds to the piling list of Shell's environmental atrocities in the Niger Delta, may have been grossly undervalued.

"We are perplexed that even as we are yet to see the Federal Government and Shell commence the much talked-about clean-up of Ogoniland as recommended in the recently-released United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assessment of that part of the Niger Delta, the company is going ahead to pollute the coastal and other parts of the region with reckless impunity,"said  ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Nnimmo Bassey.

He continued: "Is it not ironical that the many oil fields including this floating station and field are named after fish and animal species probably as the only way to maintain memories of them as oil operations wipe them out?  In this case, Bonga, a fish species is now threatened by Shell's massive leak. We are not satisfied with NOSDRA's claim that it is working hard with Shell to contain the spill. The people must know the true statistics which must then be followed through with a thorough cleanup of the environment. bBeing aware of the spill isn't good enough. Is NOSDRA on the spot? What is the spread of the spill? What is the response?"

The ERA/FoEN boss noted that Shell's claim that only 40,000 barrels of crude oil was spilled into the environment cannot be trusted because past incidents show that the company under-reported the amounts and impacts of its carelessness in the Niger Delta.  He added that Shell's gradual selling of onshore fields and shifting offshore may be a ploy to avoid close monitoring and accountability for the 'ecocide' it continues to cause.

"It is disturbing that NOSDRA officials who should be on ground to verify the amounts of oil spewed into the environment may be actually relying on figures peddled by a company/industry that is not known to be truthful when it comes to revealing actual volumes of spills as well as taking responsibility for spills it caused," he said.

The statement insisted that the field should remain closed pending the outcome of investigation into the true cause and actual spewed amounts, adding that the mounting environmental woes caused by Shell and other extractive companies in the Delta have made it imperative for President Goodluck Jonathan to listen to the demand for environmental justice by the people and halt further allocation of new blocs for oil prospecting.

According to Mr. Bassey, “Aside a clean-up of the polluted environment and a comprehensive environmental audit of the Niger Delta as ERA/FoEN has demanded over the years, our position remains unchanged: It is time to wean ourselves of the wicked fossil-fuel driven culture by buying into post oil initiatives. We must leave the oil in the soil. The poor and the environment have sufficiently subsidised corruption and cost of crude through environmental impacts and loss of livelihoods. Enough is enough.”

ERA's Field Report #282:

Title: Shell’s Bonga spill spreads to Odioama
Location: Odioama Community, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State
Date of Visit: 26 December 2011
By Alagoa Morris

INTRODUCTION
Following an alert from fisherfolks in Odioma community on the discovery of oil slick suspected to be from Shell’s Bonga Field, ERA/FoEN monitors visited the Atlantic shoreline in the company of some of the fishermen where spreading spill was sighted.

Odioama, a Nembe-speaking Ijaw community is on the fringes of the Atlantic Ocean in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and its people have a large number of fisherfolks who derive their livelihood from Atlantic Ocean.

Areas visited by ERA/FoEN monitors in the company of three community folks - Elder James Sampson aka Ovie Kokori, Danyo Ogoniba and Ayeomane Ayela, included Fish Camp 2 opposite the Varnish Island and St. Nicholas. In the course of the visit, spreading slick was observed close to the coastline of Odioama and along St. Nicholas. More quantity was observed spread out at the Varnish Island.

THE BONGA SPILL
Shell had on Wednesday (21 December 2011) announced that some 40,000 barrels of crude had leaked into the Atlantic Ocean from the 200,000 barrels per day Bonga Deep Offshore Oil Fields which it operates on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) under a production sharing contract.   The field, 120 kilometers southwest of the Niger Delta, was discovered in 1996, with government approval for its development given in 2002 and first production in November 2005. The field is run in partnership with Esso (20 per cent), Nigeria Agip (12.5 per cent) and Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited (12.5 per cent) and was built at a cost of $3.6 billion.

The December 21 spill at the Bonga facility is said to have occurred while a vessel was being loaded with crude oil. The River Ramos near Warri is reported to have also been affected by the Bonga spill, while local fishermen in Forcados on Monday (December 26) also raised the alarm about an unreported oil spill that has been on for about two weeks at Otumara in Escravos, Ugborodo area of Delta State.

SATELLITE IMAGE OF THE SPILL
 
Source: SKYTRUTH
On Wednesday, December 21, SkyTruth obtained a radar satellite image showing a major oil spill in the waters off the coast of Nigeria. The image, taken at approximately 9:30am local time on December 21, 2011 by the ASAR instrument aboard the Envisat satellite operated by the European Space Agency, reveals a slick covering 923 square kilometers (356 square miles). The image may be viewed and downloaded from the SkyTruth blog.
 

TESTIMONIES FROM FISHERFOLKS
Lucky Tema

I have been in this fishing camp here in Odioama for about twelve years now. I am an Ilaje man and fishing is my main occupation; that’s what I do here. As you can see I am just returning from the ocean. If you go into the ocean you will find the thick slick of crude oil floating, tossed here and there by the waves. It is spreading according to the direction of the current. That is what we are seeing even right here at the waterside on St. Nicholas.

As a fisherman, one of the things I know about this crude oil is that, apart from killing aquatic life, it chases away the fishes that used to be around. If our nets get in contact with the crude oil it will stain the nets and, because of the smell and colour, fish will notice and avoid such nets in the water. You can see the little catch that I returned with. This is not how it used to be. Our efforts are yielding far below expectation these days.

Ayeomane Ayela
Actually we started noticing this crude oil on the Atlantic a week ago. But it came ashore about two days ago. Oil spills affect our fishing and, this one is not an exception. We used to catch enough fish before but it is difficult now. I go into the ocean almost every day and, since we began experiencing this spill we have been unhappy. If you had come when we had full tide, you would have noticed the crude oil slick all around the waterside. Now the water has ebbed, though you can still see signs of crude oil at the water front. We are not happy because it takes extra effort to avoid the slick from contaminating our fishing nets. Once your net has stains of crude oil fishes will run away from the net because they will see it. As you can see we are powerless; we cannot order the government on what to do.

But I think a responsible government should be able to appreciate our plight and assist us. Because of this kind of situation we are becoming debtors as we hardly even meet up the payment of the fuel we use for our ocean-going boats. We want Shell to clean up the spill and compensate us for loss of livelihood. Our business has been impacted. Bonga fish that used to come to the surface are no more. The company should not deny us of our Bonga with their Bonga Facility.

THE SPILL IN PICTURES

    
Setting out into the Ocean                                                The spreading slick at St. Nicholas
   
More slick at St. Nicholas                                                   Slick spreading to Odioma
 
Negligible catch by the fishermen
OBSERVATION/CONCLUSION
In the course of the field visit, ERA/FoEN noticed the spread of the spill continued to Fish Camp 2, behind the community and by the entrance of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas joins the Atlantic Ocean from this point. However, even before visiting Fish Camp 2, the surface of the river showed signs of the slick sheen everywhere. Apart from what was observed in the Ocean, crude oil slick was noticed coming into St. Nicholas.

ERA DEMANDS:
1. The Nigerian government compels Shell to state the actual amounts of oil spewed from its facility.
2. We demand that Shell also reveal the names and types of chemical dispersants used in fighting the spill.
3. More importantly, the Nigerian government, in addition to carrying out an independent investigation of Shell’s claims that only 40,000 barrels of crude was spewed, should make the company pay adequately for the damage done to Odioma Community folks and other communities along the Atlantic coast of the Niger Delta affected.
4. An independent verification and cleaning up of existing mess (all over the Niger Delta) onshore and offshore should be the focus of NOSDRA and other regulatory agencies.
5. The international community, especially environmental and rights related groups should join in this just cause to defend the environment and livelihood of the people.