The National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) on Monday said it will take at least six weeks to put out the raging fire at the Ororo oilfield of the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 95.
The Director-General of NOSDRA, Musa Idris, who confirmed that the fire outbreak started at the weekend, said that a joint investigative visit to ascertain the cause of the inferno was in the offing.
“The well head of Ororo OML 95, operated by Guarantee Petroleum Co Limited, caught fire on Saturday. The company has engaged Haliburton and Chevron Nigeria Limited to assist it in extinguishing the fire. It will certainly take at least six weeks in the earliest to accomplish that.
“Chevron itself battled a similar fire outbreak on well head last year and it took it eight weeks to extinguish the fire through an indirect well. Joint investigation will, however, be carried out because of the emergency nature,” Idris said.
Idris confirmed that no life was lost in the incident as all workers in the oilfield were evacuated in good time.
The Ororo oilfield is located at the shallow offshore off the shoreline of Ondo near Ojumole. It was operated by Chevron Nigeria Limited but acquired by Guarantee Petroleum Co. Limited, an indigenous firm, following the divestment by Chevron.
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