Fire has been reported on Akaso 4 Wellhead operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company 18 Operating Limited in Rivers State.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission confirmed the incident in a statement by its spokesperson, Olaide Shonola, on Saturday. The incident, which has extended along the adjacent riverbank is reported to have occurred on Friday at about 11:12 pm.
“NNPC 18 Operating Limited has confirmed that a rapid response emergency team has been deployed to secure the well, address the incident and isolate the affected area using spill containment materials to prevent further spread and contamination of the environment.
They are also planning to start the oil recovery process immediately,” Shonola said.
She added that the company had deployed a Naval Houseboat within the incident area and established community surveillance to monitor the situation.
While stating that the cause of the incident is not yet known, Shonola disclosed that a joint investigation with relevant stakeholders was being planned to determine the cause and the area of impact.She noted that the Akaso Well 4 has been out of operation for a significant period.
