Title:
The Deployment of UAVs Using Machine Learning for Security Surveillances on the Pipelines and Illegal Oil Refining Clusters: A Critical Review of the Nigerian Scenario

Authors:
Stephen MALLO, JR, Nigeria

Abstract:

Oil pipelines are extremely safe modes of energy transportation, yet either by omission or commission they can occasionally fail. These failures in the developed economies are frequently related with impact damage resulting from earth moving equipment, corrosion, manufacturing defects from the pipeline materials. However, in developing economies such as Mexico, Ghana and Nigeria, pipeline theft, sabotage, and vandalism are severe problems and major issues resulting in pipeline failures and oil spillages. This article examines pipeline failures in Nigeria, with emphasis on pipelines that transport hydrocarbon liquids, establishing that pipeline sabotage through oil theft (oil bunkering), illegal refining of crude oil and oil leakages are the leading causes of pipeline failure with failure rates according to Ambituuni A et al, 2015, of about 0.35 per km-year which is far above those reported on other pipeline systems across the world. Pipeline failures have been established to result in about 0.04 to 0.38 deaths per km-yr in Nigeria, depending on the location with some estimated financial losses by Oil Companies for as much as 100 million dollars per year on the average. This figure excludes the costs of paying compensations, fines, environmental clean-ups and litigation, among others. The paper has proffered a solution for improving pipeline safety by engaging in proactive measures to reduce fatalities and financial losses in this all important sector of the Nigerian economy. The measure is through a strategic surveillance against sabotage, tracking of crude oil leakages, theft, tracking of illegal oil refining clusters and marketing routes of barges loaded with crude oil to awaiting offshore Ships and hinterland Trucks in the forested areas of the oil producing States. The Drones will allow for the acquisition of imagery data with high spatial and temporal resolution that can provide credible real time information and data on the activities of criminals within the numerous densely forested creeks of the Niger Delta region. The deployment of such modern surveillance strategy will certainly provide some economic leap to a country whose economic mainstay is Oil with as high as 90 percent dependency. The undertaking will curb oil pipeline sabotage, reduce oil theft and environmental degradation resulting from oil spillages and illegal refining of crude oil. 

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.51505/ijaemr.2024.9101