The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder made a significant discovery in the Cawthorne Channel 2 area of Degema Council in Rivers State. Their surveillance team uncovered an illegally tapped oil wellhead within the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18 oil field, which is jointly operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and Sahara Energy.
This operation, which took place on Tuesday, revealed the extent of the illegal activities in the region. The Navy swiftly took action and, on the following day, dismantled six clustered illegal refining sites, each capable of producing an astonishing three million litres of Automotive Gas Oil daily.
The illegal refiners had ingeniously set up a six-inch pipeline that spanned over 2 kilometers, connecting the wellhead to a massive three-million-liter capacity reservoir. This reservoir was the central distribution point, supplying crude oil to the six illegal refining camps.
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Commander of NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Desmond Igbo, led the operation and expressed grave concerns about the consequences of these illegal activities. He stressed that not only were the oil thieves causing significant economic damage, but they were also wreaking havoc on the environment.
As part of their operation, Commander Igbo ensured that the illegal pipeline was disconnected from the wellhead, and the illicit refining camps were dismantled. He used the opportunity to advise the youth in the area to consider legal business opportunities rather than engaging in such illegal and environmentally harmful practices.
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