By Samuel Oyadongha
A fresh oil spill has reportedly rocked the Nembe Creek in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The spill, which occured around 6 pm on Monday at a facility operated by Aiteo Exploration and Production is coming 3 years after the oil and gas blowout at a well owned by the company in the area.
It was learned that the latest incident occured at a loading point in the Nembe Creek when the force of the tide caused a stationed vessel to hit a loading vessel, identified as FMT 23.
The spill, it was further learned, has spread as far as Okpoama on the Atlantic fringe in Brass Local Government Area.
Eyewitnesses at Nembe Creek and Mammy-waterkiri, two communities bordering the loading point, attributed the spill to the incident between the two vessels.
According to them, the hose disconnected from the loading vessel and started pumping crude oil into the water at great force and it took some time before oil workers could shutdown the point.
Also speaking, a resident of the area, who simply identified himself as Ebiyon, said “concentration of crude oil on the water could be seen from a point before Nembe Creek Trunkline up to the loading point that extended past Kpongbokiri community, close to the boundary with Brass Local Government Area.
“Two booms were sighted around the company’s loading point to prevent further spread of the crude oil into the mangrove.”
Confirming the development, chairman, Oil and Gas, Nembe Kingdom , St. George Kumo, lamented the magnitude of the spill, which spread according to him, was aided by powerful water current.