A spokeswoman for Shell in Nigeria said on Wednesday that the company is looking into claims that an illegal oil tap ran for nine years on a pipeline it manages.
The Trans Escravos pipeline was the starting site for the theft, according to a NNPC spokesman, who also said that the suspected exit point for the stolen crude was the Afremo platform, run by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).
“We are also conducting an investigation to establish where the theft lines end and whether there have been any breaches of the unmanned platform’s security barriers (locks etc.) or any unauthorised use of the equipment on it,” an SPDC spokesperson said in an email.
As part of routine surveillance, SPDC said it had found illicit connections and will work with regulators to “verify the nature and condition” of the lines before disconnecting them.
The theft line finding was cited by NNPC as proof that Nigeria’s coordinated efforts to combat theft were working, including agreements with businesses run by former militants.
Massive pipeline theft in Nigeria has stifled exports, forced some businesses to halt production, and destroyed the nation’s economy.
