Eni Says Oil Spill Near Nigerian Asset Contained

LONDON - Italian oil major Eni SpA said Tuesday that an oil spill that occurred last week near its Obama flowstation in Nigeria has been contained.

The oil spill occurred 10km from Obama, an Eni spokesman said in an emailed statement, adding that the cause and size of the spill was not yet known.

Oil spills are a common occurrence in Nigeria, with pipelines frequently damaged by oil thieves. However, Nigerian lawmakers seem to be taking a tougher stance towards environmental damage caused by major oil companies operating in the country.

Royal Dutch Shell PLC's Nigerian unit faces a massive fine of up to $5 billion after an offshore rig in December leaked 40,000 barrels of crude. In March, regulators recommended a $3 billion fine for Chevron Corp. after one of the company's offshore natural gas platforms caught fire, in what environmentalists described as the worst gas spill in African history in terms of volumes released.

Copyright (c) 2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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