The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has shut down the System 2B pipeline at Arepo village in Ogun for repairs, an official of the corporation said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the latest explosion, suspected to have been caused by vandals, happened in the early hours of Wednesday.
A top management official of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), who preferred anonymity, confirmed the shutdown of the network in Lagos.
He said that the corporation had suspended pumping of products from Atlas Cove through System 2B to allow for repairs of the vandalised pipeline.
The source said that maintenance and service management team of the corporation had to wait for the fire to die out subside before they embarked on the repairs.
He explained that engineers from the corporation and other stakeholders were waiting for fire to subside to access the level of damage.
“Pumping of petroleum products had been suspended at the early hours of the day when it was observed that the line has been vandalised again to allow for repairs.
“No causality was recorded in the acts but we are going to ensure prompt repairs of the line to commence pumping of product to the line,’’ the source said.
He said that the management of the corporation had resolved to install the vandalised pipeline in a vertical directional position to restrain vandals from getting access to the line.
While assuring prompt repairs of the line to commence pumping of products, he added that adequate product have been pumped to Mosimi before the system was vandalised, .
Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, the South West Zonal Public Relations Officer of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), also confirmed that there was no causality in the explosion.
Farinloye said that the line had been shut down to allow for repairs of the pipeline, adding that the remains of the product that was in the pipeline was the one burning.
?“There is no causality, while all stakeholders are presently on ground to see the last of the fire before we embark on the repairs,'' Farinloye said.
NAN reports that this is the second time this year that the pipeline had been vandalised at Arepo.
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