British Judge Gives Go-Ahead for Pollution Lawsuit Against Shell Nigeria

British Judge Gives Go-Ahead for Pollution Lawsuit¹ Against Shell Nigeria

LONDON—

Two Nigerian communities were given the go-ahead Wednesday to pursue compensation claims against oil giant Shell through the British courts.  They claim leaks from pipelines³ have devastated⁴ the local environment in the Niger Delta⁵.

The Ogale people living in the Niger Delta claim oil spills since 1989 from Shell pipelines have ruined their coastal⁶ fisheries and water supply.

The nearby Bille community is also suing Shell for allegedly failing to protect the pipelines from damage caused by people trying to steal the oil – so-called "bunkering."

Martyn Day – lawyer for the Ogale and Bille claimants – says it is Shell’s responsibility to prevent the thefts.

“In any other part of the world, there would be a heck of a lot more done by an oil company to try to prevent it happening.  And when it does happen to make sure firstly, you know as soon as it’s happened, so some good early warning systems.  And secondly⁷ that you immediately close down the pipeline² to make sure that any leakage⁸ is very, very minimal," said Day.

Shell declined an interview – but issued a statement saying that the areas are heavily impacted by crude oil theft, pipeline sabotage⁹ and illegal refining which remain the main sources of pollution.

Shell also highlighted that it has produced no oil or gas in Ogoniland – which includes the Ogale area - since 1993.  That is irrelevant¹⁰, says Day.

“Shell’s pipelines pass though both Ogale and Bille.  And it has been leaks from those pipes that have caused the damage.  So the fact that Shell is no longer actually extracting oil from the ground under those areas is really neither here nor there.  In the end it is their oil that has caused the damage," he said.

Last year, British courts ruled Shell had to pay $77 million in compensation to the Bodo community in the delta, whose land had also been hit by oil spills.

Shell says it has already agreed to an 18-month cleanup plan with local communities and the United Nations – and is expected to argue that the cases should be heard in Nigeria.  A date for the next hearing in London is yet to be decided¹¹.

1 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

2 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

3 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

4 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

5 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

6 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

7 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

8 leakage   

n.漏，泄漏；泄漏物；漏出量

参考例句：

• Large areas of land have been contaminated by the leakage from the nuclear reactor.大片地区都被核反应堆的泄漏物污染了。
• The continuing leakage is the result of the long crack in the pipe.这根管子上的那一条裂缝致使渗漏不断。

9 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

10 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。