Shell re-opens Nigeria pipelines

Shell announced on Tuesday that it has re-opened two key pipelines in Nigeria after spending a few days shuttered when the company declared force majeure on August 27.

The pipelines were originally closed because of an oil leak on the Trans Niger Pipeline, and to cut off oil thefts at the Nembe Creek Trunkline. Shell invoked force majeure to release them from contractual obligations while fixing the leak and shoring up security. Both pipelines connect the multitude of oilfields in Rivers State, which produces 60 percent of the country’s crude, to the exports terminal on Bonny Island.

The pipelines’ re-opening follows this week’s announcement from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s managing director, Ibe Kachikwu, to bolster security along the country’s 5,000 kilometres of pipeline.

“The Nigerian Airforce would be engaged to provide aerial survey of the pipelines, the Nigerian Army Engineering corps to fix and police the pipelines and the Nigerian Navy to provide marine surveillance for the network of pipelines,” Kachikwu had said in a statement.

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