OIL giant Shell has admitted liability for two “devastating” spills which hit a community in Nigeria, the UK lawyers who brought the case said yesterday.
The 69,000-strong Bodo community in the Niger Delta suffered from the oil spills in 2008 and 2009, which are estimated to have affected a 20sqkm area (7.7sqmiles), contaminating a creek, rivers and waterways.
The first leak in October 2008, the result of operations by Royal Dutch Shell and its subsidiary Shell Petroleum Development Company (Nigeria), took a month to fix after the company was informed of the spill, leaving 2,000 barrels of oil pumping out a day.
A second spill in December 2008 was not capped until February 2009, inflicting more damage on the creek, according to London law firm Leigh Day and Co, who represent the Bodo community and brought the case in the UK.
The lawyers say the amount of oil spilled was around a fifth of that which leaked into the Gulf of Mexico following the explosion of BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig last year, damaging the creek in which the community lives, fishes and feeds.
They welcomed Shell’s formal admission of liability in the case.
Martyn Day, the lawyer representing the claimants, said: “This is one of the most devastating oil spills the world has ever seen, and yet it had gone almost unnoticed until we received instructions to bring about a claim against Shell in this country. I am pleased that having been notified of the claims, Shell has been acting speedily to put right the terrible damage that has resulted.
“I hope we will see urgent work being carried out to remediate the local environment.
“The Bodo people are a fishing community surrounded by water. What was the source of their livelihood now cannot sustain even the smallest of fish.
“The spills have caused severe poverty among the community. We will be pressing Shell to provide them with adequate compensation immediately.”
A Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) spokesman said: “SPDC has always acknowledged the two spills which affected the Bodo community and which are the subject of this legal action were operational.
“As such, SPDC will pay compensation in accordance with Nigerian law. The legal process is continuing and could take several months to reach a conclusion.
“SPDC is committed to cleaning up all spills when they occur, no matter what the cause.
“The majority of oil spills in the Niger Delta are caused by sabotage and theft, and Bodo is particularly affected by this criminal activity.
“This year alone, 13 spills in Bodo have been caused by such illegal activity.”