On Tuesday, Shell reported that the volume of crude oil spills caused by sabotage in the Niger Delta more than doubled to 3,300 tonnes last year.
This being the highest level seen since 2016. However, while the volume of spills rose, the number of major spills fell to 106 in 2021 from 122 incidents in 2020.
These numbers were released in Shell’s sustainability report. The report said in 2020, oil spills in Nigeria stood at 1,500 tonnes.
Shell operates the country’s main onshore oil and gas joint venture, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC). The company has struggled for years to contain oil spills in the Niger Delta caused by operational incidents, theft and sabotage.
Last month, a court of appeal in Owerri stopped Shell from selling any assets in Nigeria until a decision is reached on the company’s appeal of a nearly $2 billion penalty for alleged oil spill.
In 2021, Shell agreed to pay the Ejama-Ebubu community in Ogoniland, Rivers state $111m over oil spills that happened during the Civil War.
