Shell off the hook for 2011 Nigeria oil spill

The United Kingdom’s Supreme Court ruled that it was too late for people in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region to sue two Shell subsidiaries over a 2011 oil spill.

The Supreme Court said in a statement that its five judges agreed in rejecting an appeal over the spill. This upholds a previous ruling that the plaintiffs brought their case after the six-year legal limit. Shell is now off the hook for the spill of 40,000 barrels worth of crude oil.

Nigerian claimants argue that their shoreline faced a harmful impact from the leak. However, Shell said the spill at the Bonga oilfield was swiftly contained.

Spill polluted water, forests

This case is part of a larger legal battle that Shell fights in London courts. This as Nigerian residents of the oil-producing Niger Delta seek justice for the pollution and conflict associated with the region’s oil industry.

Some 27,800 people and 457 communities are reportedly behind the lawsuit. They argue that the oil slick polluted their lands and waterways. This has reportedly damaged the forests, drinking water and fishing sites.

The average life expectancy in the region is 41 years, 10 years lower than the national average.

A legal point of nuisance

Reuters says the UK Supreme Court did not look at the evidence supporting either sides’ claims or make a ruling on the issue. The Court’s Justice Andrew Burrows said it only decided on the legal point of nuisance:

The Supreme Court rejects the claimants’ submission. There was no continuing nuisance in this case…The leak was a one-off event or an isolated escape. The oil pipe was no longer leaking after six hours

The oil and gas company welcomed the decision, but admitted the spill was “regrettable”. The 2011 oil spill spread for more than 923 square kilometres. It is one of the worst oil spills in over a decade.

“It was clear from the start that these claims were unfounded and brought entirely out of time,” a Shell spokesperson said.

Shell is currently in a legal dispute with the Ogale and Bille communities. They have sued Shell over oil spills. The case is currently through the High Court.