NOSDRA Assesses Bonga Oil Spill

National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), has commenced assessment of the impact of the December 20, 2011, Bonga oil spill on Akwa Ibom coastline and communities.

The Tide learnt that officials of the agency had already visited coastal communities in Ibeno area to verify claims made by their fishermen.

NOSDRA’s Zonal Director in the state, Mr Irvin Obot, confirmed the exercise and said that he was the leader of the investigating team.

Obot told The Tide that the team inspected sites and shoreline, which the fishermen claimed had been polluted by the spill, adding that the fishermen showed the team fishing nets and accessories allegedly destroyed by crude oil.

Commenting on the development, the Secretary of Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria in the state,  Mr Inyang Ekong, expressed delight in NOSDRA’s determination to “get to the root of the spill and ascertain extent of its impact on the shoreline.’’

He commended the agency for what he described as its “transparency in the management of oil spill incidents.’’

Ekong urged the agency to sustain its efforts and prevail on Shell to compensate fishermen who were since the spill incident, advised to withdraw from the river to avoid catching contaminated fish.

“We complied with that directive but regrettably, nothing has been done to compensate us for loss of income we would have made for the period we were asked to stay away from the waters,’’ he said.

It would be recalled that NOSDRA and Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) held divergent views on the spill incident which occurred at Shell’s deep sea oil field.

Shell Nigeria Production and Exploration Company (SNEPCO), operator of the bonga field, located about 120 kilometres off the coastline had reported that about 40,000 barrels of crude leaked into the Atlantic Ocean in the incident.

A statement by the company had claimed that the spill had been cleaned up and that oil production at the Bonga platform had resumed in January.