Barely two weeks after the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari said crude production is expected to increase by 500,000 barrels per day (BPD), the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has announced the resumption of crude oil exports at the 400,000 BPD Forcados Oil Terminal.
The information was disclosed by Mr. Bamidele Odugbesan, a spokesperson of Shell Nigeria.
Last week, the Media Relations Manager of Shell Nigeria, Abimbola Essien Nelson said ongoing repairs on the oil terminal would be completed by October ending, as there are still some repair works to be done to ensure full crude oil receipt at the terminal.
She said, “In addition to the repairs, we are working to remove and clamp theft points on the onshore pipelines to ensure full crude oil receipt at the terminal.”
According to Abimbola, Shell Nigeria has scheduled a program to prioritize the removal of active illegal connections on the pipelines that feed the terminal.
“SPDC gives priority to the removal of active illegal connections and to illegal connection points that have leaks. This scheduled program is continuous as new illegal connections are identified during surveillance of the pipelines. An example of such illegal connection is that on the onshore section of the 48-inch Forcados Export Line which is currently not active and has no sign of leak at the interconnection point,” Abimbola further stated.
The Forcados Oil Terminal is located in the Niger Delta region with a capacity to produce 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day. However, the oil terminal has been persistently vandalized by crude oil thieves, hence the reason why it was shut and needed to be repaired.
The oil terminal receives crude oil from the second largest pipeline in the oil-producing region, the Forcados Oil Pipeline.
The Forcados Oil Pipeline System transports oil, associated gas and water from fields in the Niger Delta Region.
