As repairs continue on its main export pipeline damaged last month, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, is seeking to use an alternative pipeline to transport its Qua Iboe crude grade from the company’s producing fields to its Qua Iboe export terminal in Akwa Ibom State.
ExxonMobil’s subsea pipeline was purportedly breached by a militia group last month, forcing the company to declare force majeure on the export of the Qua Iboe crude grade, Nigeria’s largest export stream.
The Niger Delta Avengers had claimed responsibility for the attack on the company’s 48-inch pipeline, which the company denied, calling it a “system anomaly”.
Reuters quoted company sources as saying that the company later found substantial damage that would take at least one to two months to repair.
Whatever the cause of the damage, port sources and oil traders said repairs would take months, spurring the decision to try to export via a second, smaller pipeline that also feeds the platform.
“Exxon is preparing the alternate export line,” one source informed Reuters, adding that if it is successful, some exports could emerge within two weeks.
Two sources added that Exxon, and the Qua Iboe terminal itself, were not sharing details on the repair progress or export plans for fear of provoking militant attacks on oil infrastructure.
A spokesman for Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited declined to comment on the plan to use an alternative pipeline, saying: “We’re continuing to make progress, but we would not speculate on a timeline for repairs.”
Nigeria’s oil production has been impacted by militancy since the beginning of the year, with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) saying in its latest monthly report that pipeline attacks had taken out some 700,000 barrels per day from the country’s production, which was above 2 million bpd.
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