Chevron plugs Nigerian gas well

The Nigerian subsidiary of Chevron announced it sealed and abandoned a natural gas well damaged in a January rig collapse. The shallow-water Funiwa 1A natural gas well was abandoned after the drilling of a relief well was completed, said Chevron Nigeria Ltd. "Production at the North Apoi field, which had been shut in as a precaution, has also been restored and the field is now producing approximately 2,000 barrels of oil per day," the company said in a statement. A fire had burned for three months at the site after the K.S. Endeavor rig off the Nigerian coast collapsed in January. Chevron in March said the fire went out when the well stopped flowing. Chevron said initially that a small sheen from the area represented about 13 barrels of liquid. The drilling of a relief well began in January. CNL said it hired local residents to monitor area beaches for possible contamination. Two rig workers were declared dead following a search-and-rescue operation. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.