The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has resumed export operations at the Forcados Oil Terminal, where repair works on the pipeline have been on-going for days.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), quoted SPDC’s Media Relations Manager, Abimbola Essien-Nelson, to have confirmed last night that “Essential repairs at the Forcados Oil Terminal are complete and export operations have resumed on October 20, 2022.”
SPDC had said the Forcados Oil Terminal would resume export operations by the end of October, when the on-going essential repairs would have been completed.
Essen-Nelson was quoted to have said in a statement on October 12 that in addition to the repairs, the company was working to remove and clamp theft points on the onshore pipelines to ensure full crude oil receipt at the terminal.
The Forcados export pipeline, which has a capacity to export over 400,000 barrels of crude per day, was vandalised by crude oil thieves, thereby hindering the transportation of crude oil through the pipeline to the export terminal
Essential repairs at the Forcados Oil Terminal are complete and export operations have resumed on October 20, 2022.
The Forcados pipeline system is the second largest network in the Niger Delta, and transports oil, water and associated gas from fields in the western Delta to the Forcados oil terminal.
The Trans Forcados Pipeline is the major trunk line which feeds multiple branches from onshore fields.
According to Essien-Nelson, the active illegal connections to SPDC joint venture’s production lines and facilities in the western Niger Delta and the inactive illegal connection to the onshore section of the 48” Forcados Export Line are in the company’s on-going programme.
She noted that the programme was to remove illegal connections on the pipelines that feed the terminal.
Some international oil companies (IOCs) and Nigerian independents operating in the western Niger Delta pump oil through the Forcados Terminal for export.
The closure of the export terminal for repairs had led to the shut in of about 20 oil fields.
