Bonga Spill: NASS Committee Demands $4bn From Shell

The National Assembly is
urging Shell to pay upto $ 4 billion (four billion dollars) for the damage caused by an oil spill at its Bonga offshore field exactly three years ago (December 2011).
The Tide learnt that the decision was reached  by a parliamentaly committee following analysis by several state agencies in the country.
Our reporter, gathered that the agencies have suggested fines over  $ 11 billion (11 billion dollars) to cashion the effect of the spill on the communities.
According to a report by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), an estimate of about 40,000 barrels were believed to have spilled into the sea in 2011.
Sources close to The Tide, also informed that Shell’s subsidiary, SNEPCO operated the oil field which produced 200,000 barrels of oil per day as at the time of the spill.
The chairman of the committee (NOSDRA) Uche Ekwunife, said they decided to adopt the report of the agency; following its leading position in the oil spill management.
According to her the agency also decided to move for the action after SNEPCO’s unclear stand on how to manage the situation.
Our source, hinted that Shell was also involved in two other spills in the country outside that of the Bonga oil field.
It would be recalled that Amnesty International had sometime ago, revealed that Shell made false claims on the two oil spills that occurred in Bodo in 2008.
Amnesty also accused Shell of being aware of the poor condition of its pipelines in the Niger Delta, which according to them, has a greater chance of causing leak.