Oil Theft: SPDC To Deploy Drones To Monitor Pipelines, Wellheads

In order to monitor its pipelines and wellheads in the Niger Delta, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has inked a contract to purchase drones.

At a news conference on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, SPDC's General Manager of External Relations, Igo Weli, said this.

According to him, the corporation chose to buy drones as a result of the frequent pipeline attacks that resulted in significant income losses from oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

He asserted that the oil thieves damaged SPDC pipelines and wellheads and then diverted crude oil to their illegal refining facilities, depriving the business of its necessary revenue.

“To this end, we have signed a contract, and soon we will start using drones to monitor our pipelines, wellheads and other facilities.

” Shell does so much to protect its assets in Nigeria,” he said.

Weli claimed that over time, organised crime's regular attacks on its oil and gas installations had gotten worse, forcing the corporation to spend enormous sums of money to defend those assets.

“Some of the other extraordinary things we do as a company is flying helicopters daily to check the pipelines that come at a huge cost to the company.

“Even when we see illegal refineries,  we cannot do much other than drawing the attention of the authorities to it.

“The SPDC builds cages and installs technology to protect its wellheads – just like we put burglary proof in our homes to ward off robbers.

“This is worrisome and should be of concern to everyone, understanding that oil and gas is where the country generates huge forex and creates employment for millions,” he added.

The SPDC general manager stated that the organisation was working with security organisations by exchanging information on the whereabouts and operations of unauthorised bunkers and refinery sites.

He claimed that data sharing was carried out to ensure that the threat was decisively addressed and to enhance the commercial and working environments.

Weli stated that although both state and federal governments had been making an effort to address the threat, more needed to be done to put a stop to it.

“This is why we have been talking about this over the years and went as far as opening a website on oil spillage in 2011.”

On the reopening of the Trans Niger Pipeline shut down by the company in March, Weli said the company would only reopen the pipeline when the facility is secured from attacks.