Reducing Incidents of Oil Spills and Leaks by Monitoring Conditions of Oil Pipeline in Nigeria

Abstract

The paper focused on reducing incidents of oil spills and leaks by monitoring conditions of oil pipeline in Nigeria. Nigeria's petroleum industry has been described as being both a blessing and a curse on account of the wealth it generates and the environmental pollution it brings about. Oil spill incidents are largely responsible for this environmental pollution. These spills produce harmful effects on the environment, politics and economy of the affected areas. While it is possible to prevent the occurrence of certain spills by exercising sufficient care during oil exploitation activities, spills resulting from corrosion are prevented by monitoring the steel pipes for the inevitable effects of corrosion. The cost of a regular on-line inspection of the entire pipeline system would be prohibitive. As a result, the less costly and faster airborne thermal infrared imagery is to be regularly used to identify the defective sections of the pipelines. Subsequent on-line inspection of these sections would then provide detailed information on the shape, size and position of the defects and enable a decision to be taken on which of the available repair options to be adopted. This paper identified the environmental and economic effects of oil spills. It is recommended that Government should provide security to prevent the vanderlization of pipelines and installations by people in the oil producing areas. Also pipeline replacement and repairs should be carried out regularly to avoid external defects.