Nigeria: Shell Documents Reveal 'Basket' Pipeline, Missing Wells, $10.9 Billion Clean-Up Liability in Niger Delta - Report

What the report says

AllAfrica, republishing Premium Times, reports that internal Shell materials disclosed in a UK court case have been analysed in a new report by Amnesty International and seven other environmental and human rights groups. The report, titled “Nigeria: Lifting the Lid,” says emails, audits, presentations and reviews point to ageing infrastructure, weak monitoring and unresolved environmental risks in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, where Shell recently sold its former onshore subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company, to Renaissance Africa Energy.

According to the report cited by Premium Times, one Shell internal email described the old Nembe Creek Trunk Line as “a basket” because of its condition. The outlet says the 96.5-kilometre pipeline, which served oilfields and export terminals near the Bille community, was replaced in 2010, but around 80 kilometres of the former line allegedly remained filled with stagnant crude for years. The rights groups say documents showed at least six spills after replacement and internal concern that more spills could follow without urgent action.

The report also alleges Shell could not account for hundreds of onshore wells in its tracking systems and later began a “well hunt campaign” that found about 750 overdue maintenance tasks. It says internal reviews raised concerns about old pipelines, more than 1,600 clamps across the network, and limited real-time monitoring to detect smaller leaks. Amnesty and its partners argue the documents complicate Shell’s long-standing position that most Niger Delta spills were caused by sabotage, theft or illegal refining.

A major financial issue in the documents is an internal estimate of $10.9 billion to decommission Shell’s onshore assets, excluding environmental clean-up. The report matters because it raises questions about who remains responsible for decades of pollution after oil majors divest from onshore operations, and how Nigeria’s decommissioning rules under the Petroleum Industry Act will be enforced.