Nigeria’s Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP), a key oil conduit carrying crude to the Bonny export terminal, has burst again — this time spilling crude into B-Dere, a community in the long-polluted Ogoniland region, according to an environmental rights group.
The spill, which occurred on May 6, marks the second incident involving the TNP in two months. In March, the same pipeline was shut following an explosion and fire.
Environmental watchdog Health of Mother Earth Foundation slammed the response to the latest leak as sluggish and dangerous.“We are in a disaster zone and further disasters can erupt from even an accidental spark of fire,” warned Nnimmo Bassey, the group’s executive director.
“The fact that this spill that happened a week ago is yet to be stopped sends a very strong point to why the government should focus on cleaning up Ogoniland and not seek to open new oil wells.”Bassey called the ongoing spill “unconscionable” and urged for the shutdown and decommissioning of aging wells.
Ogoniland, once a major oil-producing area, has suffered decades of oil pollution. Locals have long complained about toxic waste, devastated mangroves, and a lack of compensation — even as oil profits enriched major companies and the Nigerian state.
Renaissance Group, which recently acquired Shell’s former onshore operations and now runs the pipeline, confirmed the incident and said investigators were dispatched to determine the cause of the spill.
The pipeline has a capacity of around 450,000 barrels per day, making it one of Nigeria’s two main export routes for Bonny Light crude. It remains unclear if operations have been halted, but a prolonged outage could lead to a force majeure declaration on exports.
Pipeline sabotage and crude theft remain major issues in the region — reasons that prompted oil majors like Shell and ExxonMobil to shift focus to offshore fields.
Renaissance’s consortium includes Nigerian firms Aradel Energy, First E & P, Waltersmith, ND Western, and the international group Petroline. Their acquisition of Shell’s onshore assets was completed in March.
