Chevron starts Nigerian relief well
21 February 2012
On 19 February, Chevron Nigeria began the process of drilling a relief well to seal the Funiwa 1A natural gas well. A blowout started a conflagration and sank the KS Endeavor jack-up rig, which Chevron was using to drill the original well. Two people were killed in the blowout and another 152 were rescued. No oil has spilled from the well so far.
The relief well is being drilled to extinguish a fire that began January 16 at the original well, located 10km off the coast of Nigeria.
Chevron plans to cement and abandon Funiwa 1A. The relief well is being drilled by Transocean with full approval from the Nigerian authorities.
The Nigerian National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) had earlier said until the point of leakage had been found, the fire should not be extinguished for environmental reasons. The agency has already taken both water and sediment samples from communities nearest the fire for laboratory analysis.
The Director-General of NOSDRA, Sir Peter Idabor, said the incident had been caused by equipment failure. He said the country needed laws to hold companies to account when these incidents occurred.
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