Worried by the continued stealing of its petroleum products in various parts of the country, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), has raised the alarm, pleading with the Federal Government and security agencies to intervene and save the company from imminent collapse.
Written by Ebenezer adurokiya-Warri: Monday, 02 September 2013
Worried by the continued stealing of its petroleum products in various parts of the country, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), has raised the alarm, pleading with the Federal Government and security agencies to intervene and save the company from imminent collapse.
The situation, according to the Anglo-Dutch multinational, has become worrisome in view of the fact that the company loses over 100,000 barrels of crude oil daily to oil thieves in the Niger Delta, Lagos and other parts of the Western axis of the country.
Regional Communication Manager (SPDC), Mr Philip Mshelia, made the revelation, while speaking with journalists in Warri over the weekend.
“At a point, we were losing 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day, but the stealing has increased in recent time such that over 100,000 barrels of oil are lost to thieves daily. We are really worried about this ugly situation now derailing the oil sector and the national economy,†he said.
On efforts made to detect the activities of the thieves, Mshelia further said, “we fly helicopter daily across the region to check the pipelines. But we can only fly during the day. Stealing activities take place at night. Besides the surveillance system, we have also engaged the services of stakeholders from various communities, including the Joint Task Force (JTF) and the media.
“Over 600 communities with 9,000 personnel have been engaged as contract workers to keep watch on our facilities. We do not want to point accusing finger to anybody but all of us have a duty to protect oil facilities and pipelines in order to boost our economy.â€
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