NOSDRA fines SEEPCO N68m over oil spillage

THE National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has slammed the sum of N68 million fine on Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company (SEEPCO) Limited, for defaulting in reporting the oil spillage from its facility.The oil spill was said to have occurred between March 5 and June 21, 2011, at SEEPCO's OKW ' B location in Okpai ' Oluchi Community in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State.A letter to SEEPCO, dated 26th October 2011 and signed by the Director General/ Chief Executive Officer of NOSDRA, Sir Peter Idabor, stated that the action of the oil firm was in clear violation of section 6(2) of the agency's Act.The letter which was confirmed to The Guardian yesterday by the Deputy Director Information/ Head Public Affairs, NOSDRA, Henshaw Ogubike, stated asked the oil company to treat the matter with the seriousness and urgency it deserves.A section of the Act states that: 'An oil spiller is by this Act to report an oil spill to the Agency in writing not later than 24 hours after the occurrence of an oil spill, in default of which the failure to report shall attract a penalty in the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N 500,000) for each day of failure to report the occurrence'Accordingly, for failure, neglect or refusal to report the oil spill incident that lasted 136 days, NOSDRA said it found SEEPCO liable to a penalty in the sum of N68 million, which the company must remit to its account within the next 21 days of receipt of the letter of sanction.It could be recalled that Umu ' Ozoma sub ' family in Umugbame quarters of Okpai ' Oluchi community had petitioned NOSDRA about the oil spill incident, following which the agency and representatives of SEEPCO conducted a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the impacted sites on July 9, 2011.NOSDRA had in September imposed a fine of N1 million on Nigeria Agip Company Limited over failure to immediately contain, recover and clean-up oil spill impacted sites at its OB/OB Gas Plant in Obrikom Omoku, Rivers State.
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