8 Oil Pollution in Coastal Waters of Nigeria
155
Table 8.1 Oil spill incidents
in Nigeria (1976–1998).
(Source: Department of
Petroleum Resources of
Nigeria; Nwilo and Badejo
2001)
Year
Number of spill incidents Quantity spilled (barrels)
1976
128
26,157.00
1977
104
32,879.25
1978
154
489,294.75
1979
157
694,117.13
1980
241
600,511.02
1981
238
42,722.50
1982
257
42,841.00
1983
173
48,351.30
1984
151
40,209.00
1985
187
11,876.60
1986
155
12,905.00
1987
129
31,866.00
1988
208
9,172.00
1989
195
7,628.161
1990
160
14,940.816
1991
201
106,827.98
1992
367
51,131.91
1993
428
9,752.22
1994
515
30,282.67
1995
417
63,677.17
1996
430
46,353.12
1997
339
59,272.30
1998
390
98345.00
Total
5724
2,571,113.90
of Nigeria (Table 8.1) for 1976–1998 (Nwilo and Badejo 2001). Taking in mind that
for almost the same time period (1976–1996) approximately 69 % of total oil has
spilled into offshore environment (Nwilo and Badejo 2001, 2007; Egberongbe et al.
2006), it is easy to understand that the pollution of the coastal ocean is enormous in
numbers and quantity (Table 8.1).
An interesting statistics for marine oil spills observed in the Gulf of Guinea,
including the coastal zone of Nigeria, can be found in (Terleeva et al. 2012). Based
on the analysis of ASAR Envisat data (Medium Resolution Image Product) for 2003–
2009 it was shown that the largest number of oil spills was observed along the coast
of Nigeria (148), then along the coasts of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea (98),
Ghana (49), Cote d’Ivoire (31), and Togo/Benin (9). Oil spill area varied from 0.5 to
80 km
2 . This recent statistics, based on irregular satellite information, confirms that
coastal waters of Nigeria are highly polluted.
8.4 The Bonga Oil Spill Case Study
On 20 December 2011 the Bonga offshore oil spill resulted from the routine transfer
of crude from the Bonga FPSO vessel (Fig. 8.4) to a waiting oil tanker. An export line
linking the FPSO unit and the tanker was identified as the likely source, and has been
closed and de-pressurized. But the next day Shell estimated the spill volume as of
155
Table 8.1 Oil spill incidents
in Nigeria (1976–1998).
(Source: Department of
Petroleum Resources of
Nigeria; Nwilo and Badejo
2001)
Year
Number of spill incidents Quantity spilled (barrels)
1976
128
26,157.00
1977
104
32,879.25
1978
154
489,294.75
1979
157
694,117.13
1980
241
600,511.02
1981
238
42,722.50
1982
257
42,841.00
1983
173
48,351.30
1984
151
40,209.00
1985
187
11,876.60
1986
155
12,905.00
1987
129
31,866.00
1988
208
9,172.00
1989
195
7,628.161
1990
160
14,940.816
1991
201
106,827.98
1992
367
51,131.91
1993
428
9,752.22
1994
515
30,282.67
1995
417
63,677.17
1996
430
46,353.12
1997
339
59,272.30
1998
390
98345.00
Total
5724
2,571,113.90
of Nigeria (Table 8.1) for 1976–1998 (Nwilo and Badejo 2001). Taking in mind that
for almost the same time period (1976–1996) approximately 69 % of total oil has
spilled into offshore environment (Nwilo and Badejo 2001, 2007; Egberongbe et al.
2006), it is easy to understand that the pollution of the coastal ocean is enormous in
numbers and quantity (Table 8.1).
An interesting statistics for marine oil spills observed in the Gulf of Guinea,
including the coastal zone of Nigeria, can be found in (Terleeva et al. 2012). Based
on the analysis of ASAR Envisat data (Medium Resolution Image Product) for 2003–
2009 it was shown that the largest number of oil spills was observed along the coast
of Nigeria (148), then along the coasts of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea (98),
Ghana (49), Cote d’Ivoire (31), and Togo/Benin (9). Oil spill area varied from 0.5 to
80 km
2 . This recent statistics, based on irregular satellite information, confirms that
coastal waters of Nigeria are highly polluted.
8.4 The Bonga Oil Spill Case Study
On 20 December 2011 the Bonga offshore oil spill resulted from the routine transfer
of crude from the Bonga FPSO vessel (Fig. 8.4) to a waiting oil tanker. An export line
linking the FPSO unit and the tanker was identified as the likely source, and has been
closed and de-pressurized. But the next day Shell estimated the spill volume as of