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Last Updated: Monday, November 1st, 2004 HOME | Previous Page MPN wins Idoho facility spill suit   By Charles Okonji Senior Business Correspondent, Lagos   A Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State capital, has delivered judgement in favour of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN), a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, over a 1998 oil spill at the company’s Idoho facility. In the ruling delivered on October 26 and which was in relation to lawsuits arising from the spill, the court said the spill did not impact on any plaintiffs. The company’s Executive Director for External Relations, Mr. Udom Inoyo, while reacting to the ruling, said after the spill occurred in January 1998, “MPN immediately assumed responsibility for the incident and contained and cleaned-up the oil within a matter of days.” Inoyo, who pointed out that almost all of the oil remained at sea where it evaporated, said that the company still treated spill with dispersing agents to protect the shorelines. He said: “Extensive scientific studies, conducted jointly between MPN and the Nigerian government, scientifically confirm that the spill had no adverse effect on the environment. “It has been MPN's contention that the Plaintiffs were not impacted by the spill. We are happy that the court agrees with our position. The company deeply regrets that this incident occurred, and has already paid compensation to parties that may have been affected by the spill,” he added. However, Federal High Court in Lagos had ordered the company to pay three Niger Delta communities N1.4 billion ($10.1 million) as compensation for the effect of a 1998 oil spill. Justice Abdullahi Mustapha, who delivered the judgment, had held the oil company liable for damage done by floating crude oil to fisheries and the ecology of the coastal communities of Bonny, Brass and Andoni. The crude oil, the judge ruled, was part of the over 40,000 barrels spilled when a pipeline connecting ExxonMobil’s offshore Idoho platform to its Qua Iboe oil export terminal, succumbed to wear and tear in January 1998. The company had argued in court it was not oil from its facility that had caused the damage complained against by the communities. Copyright� 2004. All Rights Reserved. Independent Newspapers Limited Block5, Plot 7D, Wempco Road, Ogba, P.M.B. 21777, Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria. www.independentng.com e-mail: [email protected] Designed By Powered By DNet.

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