The incessant pollution of land and water by crude oil and petroleum products in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria poses significant threats to its ecosystem. This region is known for its increasing oil spills because of its large oil deposits and growing oil and gas related industrial activities. Cases of unattended oil spills are also prevalent in these regions which have resulted in the persistence of large amounts of oil in the affected soils thus requiring effective ways of oil removal. It has been reported that these sites are poorly and most often never investigated to know the extent of contamination and as a result there is high possibility of accumulation of these pollutants in these affected areas. This paper, however, seeks to address this problem by giving an insight into some of the major causes of oil spill occurrences within NPDC Operational areas in Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Port-Harcourt regions of the Niger Delta. Oil Spill data analysis done for the past 6 years (2011 to 2016) revealed that third party interferences which include sabotage, vandalism and crude oil theft accounted for 74.4% of the spillages within these regions. While 25.3% of spillages occurred due to corrosion, equipment failure and human error, less than 1% was ascribed to unknown and unidentifiable causes. Out of the estimated 44, 034.35 barrels of oil involved during these periods, about 37,279.84 barrels (approximately 85%) constituted the amount spilled through vandalism ranging from activities such as the use of hacksaw, dynamites and explosives on pipelines; and crude oil theft through hot tapping and illegal oil bunkering. The most prevalent vandalism occurrence was recorded along the Trans Forcados export pipeline axis within (OML 30) Delta State, a marine and seasonal swamp terrain.
Building local capacity among indigenous oil and gas players is a non-negotiable mandate for the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry. A technical evaluation was conducted to assess the capabilities of 33 indigenous companies rendering services ranging from Tubing Inspection Handling and Management Services, Slickline Operations and, Surface Well Testing Operations within the Warri and Port-Harcourt areas of the Niger Delta. The table top and facility inspection evaluations showed that, for the Tubing Inspection Services, 44% out of the 18 companies sampled scored the mandatory 60% minimum required to qualify technically. Surface well testing services showed 63% of the 8 companies scoring above 70% while Slickline services revealed 88% pass for the 8 companies sampled. Criteria used in the technical assessment of these companies include; equipment and materials availability, service delivery time, job experience, HSE standards, personnel, staff training and project management. This paper attempts to evaluate the technical capabilities of indigenous companies as well as highlight some of the challenges facing the local content initiative.
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