On 22 December 2011, oil was seen on a beach near Shell Gabon’s Gamba Terminal. Shell Gabon responded by activating clean up teams to remove the oil from the beach. Samples of the oil were sent to the UK for independent examination to ascertain the source. At first, Shell Gabon believed the oil had come from a passing ship, as had been the case a year earlier. After the fingerprint analysis, it became clear that, regrettably, the oil originated from Shell Gabon’s Gamba terminal.
After an initial investigation Shell Gabon estimates that between 60 and 130 cubic meters (380 to 820 barrels) of oil was discharged as the result of an operational incident at the Gamba terminal. Much of the oil evaporated and dispersed due to natural processes. However, some of the oil reached the beach. It is estimated that approximately 11 kilometres of beach have been affected by the spill. So far five kilometres of beach have been surface cleaned and Shell Gabon is continuing to clean the remaining stretch and to deal with oil below the surface sand.
Shell Gabon
Exploration & Production
BP : 146 - Port-Gentil
BP : 48 - Gamba
Phone: +241 55 80 08 / +241 55 9543
Fax: +241 55 82 74 / +241 55 9572
