While transporting crude from the company’s Float Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel at the Bonga deep offshore on December 20, 2011, the export line ruptured and spewed about 40,000 barrels (6.4 million litres) of crude oil into the sea.
The judgment is a fallout of years of litigation between the oil giant, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) and victims of the 2011 Bonga oil spill which affected about 350 communities across the Niger-delta region.
NOSDRA further confirmed that during the course of the investigation, it was revealed that the oil spill had affected 285,000 persons from 350 communities and satellite villages within the contact area of the spill.
