The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has denied reports of an explosion at the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) in Rivers State, calling them misleading.
In a statement released yesterday, NNPCL’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, clarified that the reported incident was actually a controlled flare event that had been swiftly contained.
“What occurred was a flare incident, which has since been fully contained. There is no danger or health hazard to staff, the surrounding communities, or the environment,” the statement read.
NNPCL urged the public and media to disregard any reports claiming an explosion at the refinery, emphasizing that such claims were entirely false.
Fresh Explosion Reported at Oil Facility in Rivers State
Meanwhile, a separate explosion occurred at an oil facility in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of Rivers State. The incident, which happened early Tuesday morning, came just hours after another fire outbreak in the area.
According to an anonymous local source who spoke to Vanguard, the explosion took place at a manifold connecting a federal pipeline in the Okwawriwa area of ONELGA. Residents woke up to find a massive fire engulfing the facility, although it is located far from residential areas.
The affected facility plays a key role in transporting petroleum products, serving as a major transit point for oil from Seplat, Agip, and Shell. The crude passes through ONELGA and parts of Imo State before reaching the Brass terminal in Bayelsa State.
This latest explosion follows another fire incident less than 12 hours earlier involving the Trans-Niger Pipeline, operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). The pipeline, which transports crude oil to the Bonny Terminal, was also engulfed in flames, raising renewed concerns about pipeline safety in the region.
