Fresh Explosion Hits Rivers Oil Facility, Hours After Shell Pipeline Fire

An explosion has reportedly occurred at an oil facility in the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of Rivers State, Nigeria. The blast took place on Tuesday morning at a manifold connecting a federal oil line in the Okwawriwa area.

Sources in the area claim that local residents woke up to find a large fire raging at the facility, which is situated some distance away from residential homes.

The facility in question transports petroleum products from major oil companies, including Seplat, Agip, and Shell, from parts of ONELGA and Imo State to Brass in Bayelsa State.

This latest explosion follows a fire that broke out less than 12 hours earlier along the Trans-Niger Pipeline, which is operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). That pipeline is crucial for transporting oil to the Bonny Terminal.

At this stage, it is unclear whether the incidents at both facilities were caused by human interference However, Rivers State Police have confirmed they are investigating both fires. Authorities have also taken two individuals into custody for questioning regarding the Trans-Niger Pipeline explosion.

The cause of the fire in ONELGA remains under investigation, with officials working to determine whether it resulted from a technical failure or sabotage.