The Niger Delta devastated by an oil spill

Nigeria’s National Assembly fines Shell

ABUJA, November 26, 2014 – The Nigerian Parliament issued a non-binding fine of $3.96 billion to Shell on Wednesday for an oil spill in the offshore Bonga oilfield that occurred in December 2011. The spill was attributed to Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary, the Shell Nigerian Exploration and Production Company, which was operating the field at the time.

According to a report by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NODRA), around 40,000 barrels of oil were spilled in the 2011 incident, covering an area of 950 square kilometres. The spill created a large oil slick that communally affected the local fishermen and environmentally had a much larger impact, according to NODRA. The agency had recommended Shell be fined $5 billion in its report.

 

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