Shell convicted for pollution in Nigeria

This video says about itself:

Nigeria News: Shell Oil Spill at Nembe flow-station

Published on Aug 16, 2012

(Latest Nigeria News) Despite threats from the military with a machine-gun, activists report a fresh leak at a Shell flow-station.

“We’ve discovered a serious crude oil slick,” explained Alagoa Morries, Project Officer for Environmental Rights Action/ERA in an exclusive interview with BattaBox. “We cannot ascertain the volume of spill but the leaves, the vegetation, fish traps all around were all soiled by crude oil.”

The spill is reported to have occurred at Shell Nembe 3 flow-station at 4am on 15th August.

As ERA approached the flow-station in their boat, Alagoa described how a Naval Officer pointed a machine gun at his team and refused to allow them to take any photos. After telling the Naval Officer the purpose of their visit, Alagoa claims the Officer denied there was any oil spill… despite very thick crude oil slick surrounding his boat (see video above)

The spill comes after Amnesty International described Shell’s oil spill investigations “a fiasco”

Shell officials were seen monitoring the environment but there was little sign of any containment. At high tide, Alagoa explained, oil companies sometimes deliberately allow the crude to be washed into the mangrove forest.

After speaking to two attendants at the flow-station, ERA claims the spill is a result of a technical fault – which, if correct, means Shell would have to pay compensation to the loca community.

Full report here:

http://battabox.com/2012/08/17/nigeria-news-shell-oil-spill-at-nembe-video/

Dutch NOS TV reports today, that a court in The Hague, the Netherlands, has convicted Royal Dutch Shell oil corporation for its pollution in Nigeria.

Shell will have to pay a Nigerian farmer whose land they polluted for the damage. How much Shell will have to pay will be decided at a later trial.

The court did not convict Shell in four other similar cases.

Dutch Friends of the Earth, who started this court case on behalf of the Nigerian farmers, will appeal the four cases in which Shell today was not convicted.

This court case was only about a few of the thousands of pollution cases cases in the river Niger delta in Nigeria.

Related articles

• Dutch court says Shell responsible for Nigeria spills (Reuters) (newsdaily.com)
• Breaking News: Shell Nigeria must pay damages for oil spills – Dutch Court (vanguardngr.com)
• Dutch court rules in Nigerian farmers’ suit against Shell today (vanguardngr.com)