By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A leading petroleum company in Nigeria, Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC) have announced the commencement of crude oil exports at the Forcados Oil Terminal.
The resumption of operations at the 400,000 barrels per day export terminal came ahead of the October 30 schedule, when the oil giant had stated that the essential repairs would have been completed.
A spokesman of Shell Nigeria, Mr. Bamidele Odugbesan confirmed “that essential repairs at Forcados Oil Terminal are complete and export operations have resumed on October 20, 2022.”
SPDC’s Media Relations Manager, Abimbola Essien-Nelson had last week announced the commencement of operations at a date not later than end of October, adding, “In addition to the repairs, we are working to remove and clamp theft points on the onshore pipelines to ensure full crude oil receipt at the terminal.”
According to Essien-Nelson, the active illegal connections to SPDC joint venture’s production lines and facilities in western Niger Delta as well as the inactive illegal connection to the onshore section of the 48” Forcados Export Line are in the company’s ongoing programme to remove illegal connections on the pipelines that feed the terminal.
She said, “SPDC gives priority to the removal of active illegal connections and to illegal connection points that have leaks. This scheduled programme is continuous as new illegal connections are identified during surveillance of the pipelines. An example of such illegal connection is that on the onshore section of the 48” Forcados Export Line which is currently not active and has no sign of leak at the interconnection point.”
She reiterated the company’s commitment to running its assets safely, reliably and in accordance with globally accepted standards.
“SPDC continues to work tirelessly, alongside government and partners, towards the eradication of crude theft from its infrastructure,” she said.
Located at the western Niger Delta, the Forcados Oil Terminal, which has a nameplate capacity to export 400,000 bpd of crude oil per day, receives crude oil from the Forcados Oil Pipeline System, the second largest pipeline network in the oil-producing region, after the Bonny Oil Pipeline System in the eastern Niger Delta.
Some international oil companies (IOCs) and Nigerian independents operating in the western Niger Delta pump oil to the Forcados Oil Terminal for exports.
With the closure of the export terminal for repairs, about 20 oil fields had been shut.
This resumption ahead of time has again revived hope of financing the 2023 budget recently presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari.
