Shell investigates smoke near major Nigeria oil facility

STORY: Smoke belched in to the air near a major Shell oil and gas facility in Nigeria on Tuesday (May 14).

A spokesperson for the energy giant said it was investigating.

That’s after residents near the Gbaran Ubie facility in Bayelsa state reported hearing explosions and seeing smoke.

‘’I heard the sound (mimics blast sound).”

Farmer Ovie Ogbuku said Shell had entered the area with the fire service.

A fire was reported by residents in the nearby community, who said blasts were heard where pipeline repair works had been ongoing.

The Gbaran facility began operations in 2010 and processes almost two billion standard cubic feet of gas per day.

The spokesperson for Shell – which is currently exiting its onshore assets in Nigeria – said the incident would not immediately lead to an operational shut-in.

Shell did not immediately responds to the accounts of residents in the area.