Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), operator of the joint venture (JV) between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and CNL (NNPC/CNL JV) confirms that at about 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 18, 2019, a fire was observed at the Ojumole Well No. 1, an idle and plugged well with no flowline connected to it. Ojumole field is in NNPC/CNL JV’s Western Niger Delta area of operations.
CNL conducted an overflight to evaluate the fire and also mobilized emergency responders to assess the site, contain the fire and boom the area. In addition, CNL notified community stakeholders about the incident and also reported it to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and other regulatory and security authorities.
A Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the site of the incident on Saturday April 20, 2019, by a team made up of regulatory agencies, community stakeholders and CNL, determined that the fire incident was caused by third-party interference even though there was no impact to any of the neighboring communities.
Preliminary details given to Business Hilights by Esimaje Brikinn, Chevron’s General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs on Thursday showed that CNL is currently working with contractors to safely put out the fire as quickly as possible.
He restated Chevron’s commitment to the safety of the communities and the environment in its areas of operation, noting that “We continue to conduct our operations safely, reliably and efficiently, with utmost consideration for protection of people and the environment.”
