Fire: Aiteo declares force majure on Nembe creek trunk line

The management of Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company yesterday said it had placed a force majure on the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) due to fire outbreak.

The company’s Head, Corporate Communications, Ndiana Matthew, said this in a statement in Lagos that the action followed information of a fire outbreak by a surveillance team composed of the Joint Task Force (JTF) and DSS around NCTL RoW near Awoba yesterday.

Matthew said: “We are constrained to shut in injection as well as other related operations into the NCTL. In accordance with standard procedure, we requested the other injectors to do same. The NCTL has, hitherto, enjoyed smooth operations preceding this incident.”

According to him, the fire may have occurred through an illegitimate, third party breach of the functionality of the pipeline which is as a critical national asset.

Matthew said: “In the meantime, the relevant investigations are continuing while further information about the remote and direct causes of the fire will be communicated as soon as these became available. We ask our stakeholders to await further briefing in due course.”

Aiteo Group is an integrated, global-focused Nigerian energy conglomerate founded in February 2008 by Benedict Peters.

The company has significant business interests in oil and gas exploration and production; bulk petroleum storage; refining of petroleum products; trading, marketing and supply as well as power generation and distribution.

Its subsidiaries are Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited (AEEPCo) and Aiteo Power.

Aiteo Group acquired OML 29 from Royal Dutch Shell and emerged as Nigeria’s leading oil and gas company after successfully tripling.