The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) says the Forcados Oil Terminal will resume export operations by the end of the month when ongoing essential repairs would have been completed.
“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,” SPDC’s Media Relations Manager, Abimbola Essien-Nelson, said in a statement on Wednesday.
This would however enable Nigeria to export about 400,000 barrels of crude oil in addition to what is currently exporting.
The country has capacity to produce atleast 2.5 million barrels per day but because of lack of investment and issue of security, it has recorded a lot of short –in, and some cases differed production.
The Forcados Oil 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 terminal has an oil export capacity of 400,000 b/d.
The Forcados Oil 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 terminal has an oil export capacity of 400,000 b/d. The Trans Forcados Pipeline (TFP) is the major trunk line, into which feed multiple branches from onshore fields. At the Forcados River manifold, its capacity is 850,000 b/d. Until 2012, the pipeline was operated by Shell
According to Essien-Nelson, the active illegal connections to SPDC joint venture’s production lines and facilities in western Niger Delta as well as the inactive illegal connection to the onshore section of the 48” Forcados Export Line are in the company’s ongoing programme to remove illegal connections on the pipelines that feed the terminal.
She said, “SPDC gives priority to the removal of active illegal connections and to illegal connection points that have leaks. This scheduled programme 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” Forcados Export Line which is currently not active and has no sign of leak at the interconnection point.”
Essien-Nelson reiterated SPDC’s commitment to running its assets safely, reliably and in accordance with globally accepted standards.
“SPDC continues to work tirelessly, alongside government and partners, towards the eradication of crude theft from its infrastructure,” she said.