An oil spill response firm has joined Total Energy and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to tackle the crude oil spill from Egina.
With this, Nigeria may be losing about 2.3 million barrels of crude oil as a result of spill from Egina oil field in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Daily Trust can report.
Egina is a Floating Production and Storage and Offloading (FPSO). Discovered in 2003, the Egina Oil field is located at a water depth of between 1,400 and 1,700 metres, 200 kilometer offshore from Port Harcourt and it is operated by TotalEnergies.
Egina FPSO is 330 metres in length, 61 metres across and 34 metres high and with a storage capacity of 2.3 million barrels.
The crude oil spill incident took place during loading operations in Egina around 6.30am on November 15, 2023.
It has continued to spread since then despite concerted efforts by NIMASA, TotalEnergies, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, (NUPRC) to contain the spill.
Though the volume of the spill is not yet confirmed, Total Energies is currently providing aerial surveillance, dispersant application, while further mobilisation is being considered.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, in a statement signed by the Head of the Public Relations unit, Mr. Edward Osagie, said the agency is working with all stakeholders to control the pollution.