A privately contracted oil pipeline surveillance company, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, led by Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, has reportedly discovered more massive illegal crude oil pipelines attached to Trans Forcados Export Trunkline.
The latest discovery comes a few days after an illegal four-kilometre crude oil pipeline belonging to Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) was exposed.
The discovered illegal pipeline was connected to the 48-inch Trans Forcados Export Trunkline in Burutu Local Government Area.
Curiously, the illegally plugged point is directly located behind a military security post and less than a kilometre to the Forcados Export Terminal in Ogulagha community.
From the point of connection, the illegal pipeline was linked to another abandoned pipeline riser located within the vicinity and owned by AGIP Petroleum Company Ltd.
Through the abandoned AGIP facility, the oil thieves have been ferrying condensed crude oil to the sea for loading into thieving ships at midnight for onward movement abroad.
The Forcados Terminal located in Ogulagha, Burutu Local Government Area, is said to have a nameplate capacity to export 400,000 barrels per day.
It receives crude oil from the Forcados Oil Pipeline System, which is the second largest pipeline network in the oil-producing region, after the Bonny Oil Pipeline System in the Eastern Niger Delta.
More so, it was stated that some International Oil Companies and Nigerian independents operating in the western Niger Delta pump oil to the Forcados Oil Terminal for exports.
It will be recalled that Tantita Security Services Limited had only last week apprehended a vessel named MT Deima with International Maritime Organisation with number 7210525, while loading crude oil illegally along the Escravos river in Delta State.
The arrested vessel which was handed over to officials of the Joint Task Force otherwise known as Operation Delta Safe was eventually set ablaze by the military officials 48 hours after the arrest.
