July 12, 2022

Eroton Exploration and Production Limited says a leakage at its Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18 is as a result of “third party interference”.

In a statement confirming the incident on Tuesday by its Head of External Affairs and Corporate Communications, Mercy Max-Ebibai, it occurred offshore at the company’s Cawthorne Channel field wellhead 047.

“As was the case with the earlier reported incident, this recent spill also occurred in the Cawthorne Channel field, wellhead 047 Long string (CAWC047L)”.

“The CAWC-047 wild oil spill was observed in the morning hours of Sunday, July 10, 2022.

“CAWC047L/S is a dual string well. The Long String arm was shut-in in April 2020 due to flowline vandalisation and in July 2020, the Short String arm was also shut-in for the same reasons. A distant look at the well shows the absence of some wellhead valves on the body of the XMAS Tree.”

“The well was observed to be releasing the uncontrolled flow of hydrocarbon to the environment from the long string due to the confirmed compromised and vandalised XMAS Tree containment valves of the wellhead,” she said.

Max-Ebibai added that the spill “was observed at about 0745hrs coming from the wing valve arm of the CAWC047L, which appears to have been vandalised with the valves, control panels, bean-box, actuators all carted away”.

“In spite of the high-pressure spill, the Eroton emergency team was working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible”.