The Nigeria crude oil pipeline transportation facility has witnessed hiccups in the movement of its product from the production platform to the export storage terminal in Bonny, Rivers State. This is owing to a huge pipeline explosion witnessed along the Trans-Niger Pipeline operated by Renaissance formally Shell Petroleum Development Company and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).

The explosion witnessed along the 180 kilometers Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP) is believed to have cut off approximately 180, 000 barrels per day crude oil from reaching the export destination thereby leading to a colossal economic loss to Nigeria whose sole foreign exchange earning depends on its crude oil trading.

The root cause of this unfortunate incident is currently in top gear to be unrevealed by the nation’s security apparatus led by the Rivers State Police Command which has in a separate media space independently confirmed the fire outbreak on the Trans-Niger Delta Pipeline

According to an official statement of the police command made through its Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, the fire was noticed on Monday night 17 March 2025 during a security patrol of its officers and alerted SPDC now Renaissance, which immediately shut down the affected pipeline and activated safety measures.

“The command had hereby assured residents that the situation is under control and There is no further threat to residents or the environment,” she stated.

On the root cause of the fire, the command has not disclosed if the inferno was owing to an explosion from vandals’ nefarious activities or unforeseen contingency like pipeline rapture which might be linked to aging infrastructure. But further in her speech, Grace Iringe-Koko disclosed the command arrest of two suspects allegedly related to the crime scene

“The Rivers State Police Command has commenced a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the fire. In connection with this, two individuals have been taken in for questioning as part of efforts to uncover any potential act of sabotage,” she asserted.

An explosion ruptured at a section of the Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP) in Bodo community, Gokana LGA of Rivers state might be unconnected to recent militant threat in the region owing to prevailing political fisticuffs between the Governor and his former political godfather. This unresolved political quagmire led to the declaration of state-of-emergency in the state by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday 18, 2025.

Gbaran Ubie gas facility Fire

A fire outbreak was reported near Shell’s Gbaran Ubie gas facility in Nigeria’s Bayelsa state on Tuesday, May 14th, but has been extinguished. Shell confirmed that the fire, which occurred outside the Gbaran Central Processing Facility, has been put out and a Joint Investigation Visit is planned to determine the cause and impact. 

“We are pleased to report that the fire outside our Gbaran Central Processing Facility…went out last night and a regulator-led Joint Investigation Visit is being planned to determine the cause and impact,” a Shell spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday.