The people of Ikarama community in Bayelsa have been left in a state of helplessness after the Okordia-Rumekpe 14-inch crude truck line operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) discharged some 213 barrels of crude oil into the community.

SPDC’s Media Relations Manager, Mr. Bamidele Odugbesan, confirmed the leakage.

He said a probe into the incident had been concluded.

According to Odugbesan, a Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) confirmed that the incident occurred on April 7, while the investigation was concluded on April 12.

JIV is a statutory probe into the cause of any recorded spill incident involving the oil firm, regulators, host communities and state ministries of environment.

The JIV report concluded that the spill was an operational mishap traced to equipment failure which impacted nearby palm trees and fish ponds.

It recommended remediation of the site.

The report indicated that an estimated 1.34 hectares of land were polluted by the leakage which followed a rupture of the pipeline.

According to the report, out of the 213 barrels of SPDC’s bonny light crude stream leak, some 110 barrels are recoverable from the ongoing recovery exercise at the site, leaving an estimated spilled volume at 109.12 barrels.

The JIV report, which anticipated that oil recovery would be concluded before the end of April, also recommended the replacement of sections of the pipeline to restore its integrity.