‘How Kenyon International played critical role to stop Nembe oil spillage’

Devastating oil spills in Bayelsa’s Nembe community from a leaking wellhead that was affecting local residents for more than a month was eventually stopped by a team of engineers from Kenyon International West Africa Company Limited, a Nigerian-owned international oil and gas servicing company, it was gathered.

The OML 29 Well 1, which is operated by Nigeria’s largest indigenous oil firm, Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited, had been spilling unabated into the Santa Barbara River, impacting marine life and polluting the environment, until Kenyon International West Africa intervened and brought the spill to a halt.

Efforts to contain the flow from the shattered wells were futile at first. The spill was of a special type – a gas blowout, which involved 80 per cent gas and 20 per cent oil.

The wellhead owner Aiteo Eastern E&P, the petroleum minister, and Nigeria’s President all promised that specialist workers would stop the spill. And, contrary to widespread claims that the spill was brought under control by foreign experts, it was the expertise of Kenyon International West Africa that effectively contained the leak.

“A key feature of our response model is transparency across all stages of response to the incident,” Victor Ekpenyong, founder, CEO, Kenyon International West Africa, said in a statement.

He added: “We ensured that we factored in crucial pointers such as the size and type of spill and the environmental/ economic sensitivities of the resources at risk to avoid lasting damage on the waterways as the affected aquaculture is a major source of livelihood for the people of the community”.

According to Ekpenyong, because the organisation is highly specialised in well intervention, well remediation and idle well management, solving the Nembe spillage came naturally to them as they had done the same for other companies.

“Our client base comprises international oil and gas companies and Nigerian oil and gas companies,” he explained.

He said Kenyon International West Africa was rapidly becoming a recognised force in providing cost-effective well control services, well intervention services, well remediation services and idle well management services. In addition, the company has successfully completed several high-level projects for customers on the African continent.