Ugandan farmers attempt to stop oil pipeline in UK courts.

A group of farmers from across Uganda are attempting to prevent the completion of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, which it intended to carry crude oil from western Uganda to the Indian Ocean port of Tanga in Tanzania, by bringing a court case in London against the pipeline's owner, EACOP Ltd., arguing that the construction of the pipeline contravenes Clause 39 of the Ugandan Constitution, which guarantees that 'Every Ugandan has a right to a clean and healthy environment', as well as breaching the Ugandan National Environment Act and National Climate Change Act.

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline is intended to carry oil from two oilfields, the Tilenga and Kingfisher oil fields, on the shores of Lake Albert, to the Tanzanian coast. The Tilenga Oil Field is being developed by the French multinational TotalEnergies, while the Kingfisher Oil Field is being developed by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation. Between them the two companies plan to drill more than 400 wells, eight of which will lie within the Murchison Falls National Park. Because of the dense nature of the oil, the pipeline will need to be heated to 50°C along its entire 1443 km length, making it the world's largest heated pipeline, and significantly increasing the project's carbon footprint. The project was initiated in 2016 and is 78% complete, having been the subject of numerous legal challenges and protests in East Africa.

The planned route of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. TotalEnergy.

EACOP Ltd. is 62% owned by TotalEnergies, with the China National Offshore Oil Corporation owning 8%, and the Uganda National Oil Company and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation owning 15% each. However, it is registered as a company in London, leading the Ugandan farmers to hope that bringing a case there may be effective. A number of previous cases brought in Uganda and Tanzania by farmers evicted from their lands to make way for the pipeline have been unsuccessful (according to figures provided by TotalEnergy, around 100 000 people in the two countries will have lost some land to the project, with around 5000 forced to relocate completely).

The project's leaders have asserted that the project is an essential part of the transition to carbon neutrality, and that it's footprint will be offset by a number of social and environmental projects. These include a package of US$19 million in payments plus US$22 in in-kind compensation for persons affected by the Tilinga Oil Field, and US$32 million in cash plus US$68 million in in-kind compensation for persons affected by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, training in agricultural practices and small business-development, distribution of food  items recommended by the United Nations World Food Program (e.g. rice, pulses, oil), the rebuilding of a health centre in Buliisa District, funding for 338 students from Buliisa, Nwoya Pakwach, Nebbi and Masindi districts to take O-and A-level science courses, the renovation of twelve staff housing units at Anaka General Hospital, drilling of several boreholes in Bulisa District, which will improve access to water for 4000 people and 10 000 cattle, the provision of a number of 5-day courses at Makerere University  taught by professionals or experts from TotalEnergies, as well as access to six online courses for thousands of students, the construction of a 115 MW solar park and 100 MW wind farm in Tanzania, the construction of renewable energy projects capable of producing 60mw of energy, instillation of a 15mw solar plant at the Tilenga Central Processing Facility, the potential development of a 150mw solar thermal facility at the Tilenga Central Processing Facility, restoration of 10 km² of rain forest, the protection of 100 km² of natural forest, projects to protect populations of Antelopes and Giraffes in Murchison Falls National Park, and a wetlands restoration project in the White Nile Delta.

However, the Ugandan farmers, with the support of global campaign group Avaaz, contend that the environmental impact of the pipeline significantly outweighs any potential benefits in a number of ways. 

Firstly, the project is predicted to produce greenhouse gasses equivalent to 372 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over its planned 20 year lifetime. This is equivalent to the entire greenhouse gas emissions of Uganda for 58 years, significantly contributing to global climate change, something which is already impacting Uganda, which has suffered record-breaking floods, devastating and frequent droughts and erratic rainfall patterns in recent years.

Secondly, the pipeline is proposed to run through the Lake Victoria Basin, an environment where a significant oil leak or spill could have a catastrophic impact on Lake Victoria, an important natural habitat, source of water to people in three countries, and a major source of water to the Nile.

Thirdly, the pipeline is predicted to run through several internationally important wildlife reserves and habitats, including the Murchison Falls National Park, the Taala Forest Reserve, and the Bugoma Forest Central Forest Reserve, potentially impacting a range of habitats and endangered species. 

To this end they have appointed solicitor Joe Snape of the UK law firm Leigh Day, which specialises in environmental and humans rights cases with international dimensions, to represent them in London, and hope to begin legal proceedings in May 2026. 

Snape, who has previously represented members of the Ogale and Bille communities of the Niger Delta who have been affected by the activities of oil companies, has stated that 'Our clients believe the EACOP pipeline will result in enormous damage to the global climate as well as severe damage to their local environment. Our clients are already living on the frontline of the climate crisis and argue this pipeline will only exacerbate the impact they, and other vulnerable communities around the world, experience on their lives and livelihoods. They are calling for the pipeline construction and operations to be halted to stop this damaging impact on the climate in Uganda and elsewhere around the world.'

See also...

Seven dead in pipeline explosion in Lagos, Nigeria.

Seven people have died after a pipeline carrying petrol exploded in Lagos State, Nigeria, on Thursday 5 December 2019. The explosion happened at Idowu Egba to the west of the city of Lagos, and is thought to have been caused by thieves boring into the pipeline to steal petrol, which also released petrol fumes into the local atmosphere, fumes which were ignited when a cleric at a nearby church lit a candle. The dead are thought to include five members of the gang that was stealing the petrol, the clergyman, and one of his parishioners. A second churchgoer is being treated in hospital with 70% burns.

Investigators at the scene of a pipeline explosion in Lagos State, Nigeria, this week. Gidipoint.

Although Nigeria is a major exporter of crude oil, it is largely reliant on imported petroleum for its fuel needs, placing the country at a significant economic disadvantage. The combination of fuel poverty and pipelines criss-crossing the countryside has led to a thriving black market in stolen fuel, obtained at great risk from pipelines, either as processed petroleum or as crude oil which is then refined using home-made fractionation equipment, a process known as 'oil bunkering'. This raiding of oil pipelines is blamed by oil companies for the widespread pollution in the Niger Delta, though environmental and human rights groups claim that this is used as an excuse to cover poor maintenance practises, and that companies should be held responsible for the security of their pipelines anyway.

However the sale of black-market fuel provides a means of gaining hard cash in an area that has seen little benefit from the presence of the oil companies, and where the oil is often seen as a resource that should belong to the local people, not foreign oil companies or the (fairly remote) government of Nigeria. The environmental problems caused by both legal and illegal oil operations in the Delta strongly impact upon the local economy, which is based upon small scale farming and fishing, leaving many people with no legitimate source of income, which combined with a rapidly growing population and therefore increased demand for food, makes the black market oil industry more attractive than it might otherwise seem.

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Leak from Keystone Pipeline causes major pollution incident in North Dakota.

A leak from the Keystone Pipeline has led to about 1.4 million litres of crude oil being released into wetlands in Walsh County, North Dakota. The leak was discovered on Tuesday 29 October 2019, causing pipeline owners TC Energy to shut down that portion of the pipeline while maintenance work is carried out. The leak presents no immediate threat to Human health, according to the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, as the wetlands where the spill occurred are not used as a source of water for Human consumption, but the impact of the spill on local wildlife is likely to be severe and potentially long lasting.

Oil spill in Walsh County, North Dakota, from a leak on the Keystone Pipeline in October 2019. Taylor DeVries/North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality/AP.

Oil spills are potentially harmful to aquatic life in a variety of ways. Most obviously it can coat the outside of organisms, causing damage to external structures such as the feathers of Birds and fur of Mammals, as well as smothering many aquatic invertebrates and plants. It also contains a variety of chemicals which can be directly toxic upset the hormonal balance of many animals. Oil also impedes the feeding of aquatic organisms, coating both food and feeding organs, but provides an excellent food source for Bacteria, which can lead to Eutrophication events - dramatic increases in Bacteria numbers, which then use all the oxygen in the water, leading other organisms to asphyxiate.

The Keystone Pipeline began operation in 2010 and carries crude oil extracted from oil sands in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin to refineries in Illinois and Texas. The pipeline has suffered a number of similar leaks which have caused alarm among environmental groups, many of whom opposed the construction of the pipeline in the first place. The spills have also served to deepen opposition to the larger Keystone XL Pipeline, which is planned by TC Energy to run through Alberta, Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. The Keystone XL Pipeline project was blocked by the Obama-administration in 2015 due to concerns about the environmental impact and economic viability of the project, but this block was overturned by the incoming Trump-administration in 2017, though the legality of this is still being challenged in several courts in the US.

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Dozens dead following pipeline explosion in Hidalgo State, Mexico.

Sixty six people have now been confirmed dead and another seventy six are known to have been injured, following an explosion on an oil pipeline in the town of Tlahuelilpan, in Hidalgo State, Mexico on Friday 18 January 2018. The incident was reportedly caused after thieves drilled into the pipeline in a poor neighbourhood of the city with the intention of stealing oil. This resulted in a rupture on the pipeline, which causes oil to jet into the air. Many people then rushed to the scene hoping to fill containers with some of the oil. An attempt to hold back the crowds was made by military personnel, but it soon became clear that they were badly outnumbered, and they were forced to withdraw. Some time after this the oil was somehow ignited and the area engulfed in a fireball.

The aftermath of a pipeline explosion in Tlahuelilpan, Hidalgo, on Friday 18 January 2019. New York Times.

Thefts of oil from pipelines in Mexico have risen almost ninefold in the last decade, driven by growing economic inequality and rising fuel prices. Incoming president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was elected in December, has promised to clamp down on these thefts, deploying military personnel to guard pipelines and shutting down some of the more vulnerable routes completely. However this policy has drawn widespread criticism as it has led to fuel shortages, which appear to have further fed demand for black-market fuel.

Relatives of missing people watching as forensic search teams sift through the aftermath of a pipeline explosion in Tlahuelilpan, Hidalgo, on Friday 18 January 2019. Reuters.

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Pipeline rupture leads to massive oil slick off the coast of the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan.

A major oil spill has occurred in Balikpapan Bay on the coast of the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan, following the rupture of an oil pipeline running beneath the bay. The pipeline, which is operated by the state-owned oil company Pertamina, is believed to have been hit by a bulk coal carrier, the MV Ever Judger, on Friday 30 March 2018, with one section of the pipeline displaced by about 100 m. The resultant slick is about 4 km in length, and has produced fumes which have caused problems in the city of Balikpapan, as well as having ignited in a number of places, with one fire having killed five fishermen on a boat in the bay on Saturday 31 March.

Fires burning on an oil slick in Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan. ABC News.

The spill has badly damaged the livelihoods of fishermen operating in the bay, and is likely to continue to do so, as clearing up the slick is likely to be a lengthy process. The oil appears to have badly impacted the local wildlife, including populations of Marine Mammals, with at least one Dugong known to have died.

A Dugong, Dugong dugong, found dead in Balikpapan Bay. Jatam.

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Ziwaya-Tripoli pipeline closed off due to fire.

An oil pipeline connecting the Zawiya Refinery in Libya to the capitol, Tripoli, has been closed down following an explosion and fire in the Joudaim District that broke out on Monday 26 February 2018. The pipeline supplies about two thirds of the fuel used in Tripoli, prompting fears of shortages when the news was released, but the Brega Oil Marketing Company, which operates the pipeline and supplies fuel in the city, has assured customers that it has sufficient reserves to maintain supplies until the pipeline is repaired.

Libyan firefighters tackle an oil fire near Zawiya. Libyan Observer.

Libya has suffered a number of serious oil fires in recent years, caused by a combination of a decaying infrastructure, and deliberate attacks linked to political instability in the North African Country. However on this occasion the cause of the fire appears to have been more mundane; the buried pipeline was apparently struck by a farmer while ploughing a field, resulting in a leak that ignited causing the explosion and subsequent fire. Nobody is thought to have been injured in the incident.

See also...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Millitant group claims to have blown up oil pipeline in Khuzestan Province, Iran.

The Ahwaz Martyrs Brigade of Ansar al-Furqan, a militant Sunni Muslim group thought to have connections to the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda (also known as Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham, Jabhat al-Nusra, and Jahbat Fateh al-Sham) has claimed responsibility for a pipeline explosion close to the city of Ahwaz in Khuzestan Province, Iran. The incident happened overnight between Friday 29 and Saturday 30 December 2017. Authorities in Iran are yet to comment on the incident.

Image of an alleged pipeline explosion in Khuzestan Province, Iran. AMN News.

Khuzestan Province is an oil-rich region in the south of Iran, with a large Sunni population often at odds with the nation's theocratic Shia government. The Ahwaz Martyrs Brigade of Ansar al-Furqan, a group that first appeared in 2013, is one of a number of organisations in the area campaigning against the government, which accuses Saudi Arabia of funding them (a claim denied by Saudi authorities). The group has been linked to a number of previous incidents, including suicide bombings, but has not previously been known to attack the country's oil infrastructure.

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.