Shell is facing legal action in a UK court on behalf of 11,000 members of the Niger delta Bodo community, who say the company is responsible for spilling 500,000 barrels in 2008. Shell has admitted liability for two spills in the Bodo region but estimates the volume is far lower.
Royal Dutch Shell‘s Nigerian unit is containing an oil spill in the Niger delta, the company said on Friday, after the military reported liquid “jetting” out of a pipeline. Massive oil theft, sabotage of infrastructure and leaks from ageing pipelines are all cutting into the profits of the big oil companies operating in Nigeria, as well as damaging public finances.
The hundreds of spills a year in the Niger delta do serious environmental damage, destroying fishing communities and poisoning water used for drinking and bathing.