The Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP) is a major oil pipeline in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

Niger Delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitic ...

, used to transport crude from oil fields through Ogoniland communities to export terminals. The pipeline has a transporting capacity of about 180,000 barrels of crude per day and was operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria till March 2025. Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings took over operations of the pipeline after acquiring Shell's onshore subsidiary.

Incidents

After a leak on the Trans-Niger Pipeline at Oloma in southern

Rivers State Rivers is a states of Nigeria, state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed on 27 May 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria, Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include Imo State, Im ...

in August 2015, Shell shut down both the Trans-Niger Pipeline and Nembe Creek Trunk Line and declared “

force majeure In contract law, force majeure ( ; ) is a common clause in contracts which essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such as a war, strike, riot, ...

” on crude oil exports. The pipeline was closed again on November 22, 2015, after an incident in which four contractors were killed during an operation to remove crude oil theft points. In August 2022, a joint investigation visit by the

National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) is an agency under the Federal Ministry of Environment in Nigeria. It was instituted by the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria act of 2006 with the core mandate to o ...

(NOSDRA) found that a leak that occurred a week earlier on the Trans-Niger Pipeline in

Bodo Bodo may refer to: Ethnicity * Boro people, also called ''Bodo'', an ethno-linguistic group mainly from Northwest Assam, India * Bodo-Kachari people, an umbrella group from Nepal, India and Bangladesh that includes the Boro people Culture an ...

, Rivers State, was caused by third-party interference. In April 2023, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria reported that they had detected and removed 460 illegal connections on the Trans-Niger Pipeline before resuming operations after a one-year shutdown. On June 11, 2023, the Trans-Niger Pipeline burst open, spilling crude oil into Alete community in the

Eleme local government area Eleme is a Local government areas of Nigeria, local government area in Rivers State, Nigeria. It is part of the Port Harcourt Metropolitan area, metropolitan city. Eleme has its headquarters in the town of Ogale. It covers an area of 138 ...

, Rivers State. Okulu River, which is the source of water for farms and residents of five communities, was also contaminated. The leak was eventually contained. In October 2023, 37 people were reported dead after an explosion at an illegal refinery that tapped the Trans-Niger Pipeline in Ibaa community in Emohua local government area. During a sweep and clear operation on the Trans-Niger Pipeline in February 2024, the

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the largest component of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The President of Nigeria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Army, and its professional head is the Chie ...

uncovered over 40 illegal wells containing crude oil in Rumuekpe community,

Emohua Emohua is an oil rich Local Government Area in Rivers State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Emohua. Emohua LGA is made up of so many towns and villages which includes; Omudioga, Egbeda, Ubimini, Elele-Alimini, Rumuji, Emohua, Ibaa, ...

local government area of Rivers State. The wells were mostly 12 by 12 feet in both width and length, and about 40 feet in depth. In April 2024, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil),

Heineken Lokpobiri Heineken Lokpobiri (born 3 March 1967) is a Nigerian politician who is the minister of state for Petroleum Resources (Oil). He previously served as minister of state for Agriculture and Rural Development from 2015 to 2019, and as Senator represe ...

, said problems encountered on the Trans-Niger Pipeline and other maintenance activities were the reasons for the drop in crude oil production in the first quarter of 2024. In July 2024, a fresh oil spill occurred along the Trans-Niger Pipeline in Bodo community, Gokana local government area of Rivers State. It was attributed to equipment failure. In March 2025, an explosion was reported on the Trans-Niger Pipeline, putting 450,000 barrels of crude oil production at risk. Operations resumed shortly thereafter, with oil being rerouted through an alternative line.

References

Pipelines in Nigeria Oil pipelines Oil pipelines in Africa Energy infrastructure {{improve categories, date=March 2025