Nigeria: Contractor Says His Barge, Not Nembe E&P Caused 'Minor' Bayelsa Vessel Accident

What the report says

A contractor has disputed early reports linking a barge accident at the Nembe Creek facility in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, to Nembe Exploration and Production Ltd. According to the article published by This Day and distributed by AllAfrica, the vessel’s owner, Ebikeme Sokere of Fazal Environmental Company, said the incident was a minor mishap involving his own barge, which struck debris while moving. He said it had nothing to do with Nembe Exploration or its former name, Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Ltd.

The report says the accident was initially associated by some communities with crude-loading activity at the facility in Oil Mining Lease 29. That interpretation drew environmental concern after the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) said it observed crude oil in waterways and along mangrove banks and called for cleanup, compensation and accountability. HOMEF also raised complaints from fishing communities about damaged gear, reduced catches and limited access to fishing areas.

Sokere said the barge was a contractor’s remediation vessel and not an operational crude-loading asset of the oil company. He offered to explain the circumstances to interested parties and said he could take representatives to the site. The dispute matters because it affects who may be responsible for any environmental damage and whether the incident should be treated as part of oil-production operations or as a separate contractor event.