The integrity of the old Nembe Creek Pipeline which Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) replaced, was severally weakened by "crude theft points" that oil thieves installed on the pipeline. Within two years of the new Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) being commissioned into use, it has been "repeatedly targeted by crude thieves, requiring that SPDC must now shut down sections of the line to allow the removal of illegal bunkering points."
