Agip Pipeline’s Leak Investigation, Repairs Under way

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

Monday’s night gas leak reported at a pipeline operated in Bayelsa by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) has been brought under control. The gas leak under very high pressure and resulting noise from the discharge has ceased.

The development followed a directive by National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to NAOC to shutdown the oil and gas wells feeding the breached pipeline to extinguish the pressure and pave the way for a Joint Investigative Visit (JIV).

THISDAY checks showed that oil workers have been deployed to fix the leak while the JIV was also ongoing.

Production data obtained from NAOC shows that the incident cut Agip’s gas exports by five million standard cubic meters per day (MMSCM/d).

Meanwhile, a spokesman of Eni, Italian parent company to NAOC in a statement made available yesterday  regretted that the impact of the incident on gas output was significant.

“Eni confirms that a third party’s interference hacksaw cut caused a gas leak at the Ogbainbiri-Ob / Ob gas pipeline. The line is depressurized and is currently being repaired. Production losses due to the shutdown are important,” Eni stated.

It was gathered that the drop was sequel to an explosion which occurred at the 24 Ogboinbiri and OB-OB gas pipeline, the gas export feed to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) plant.

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), NOSDRA, Mr. Idris Musa, who had earlier confirmed the pipeline blast on Wednesday, said the agency would lead an investigation into the incident as soon as it is safe to do so.

He said that the blast was reported to the agency in the early hours of Tuesday.

Musa assured  stakeholders that NOSDRA would conduct the investigations in a transparent manner and pledged that its findings would be made public in due course.The gas pipeline was vandalised three times in April 2022.