Oil gushing from Nigerian wellhead blasts hopes of those living nearby

NEMBE, Nigeria, (Reuters) Three weeks after the Santa Barbara wellhead failed, it is still blasting water, gas and oil across Nembe in Nigeria's Delta, littering the shoreline and water with yellow-brown clumps of waste as cleanup crews and booms struggle to contain it.

Santa Barbara wellhead owner Aiteo Eastern E&P, the petroleum minister and Nigeria's president have all promised that specialist workers would quickly stop the spill.

But experts say the difficulties containing it are a reminder of how the once-fertile, fish-filled creeks, mangrove swamps and waterways that crisscross Nigeria's Delta became some of the most polluted areas on the planet amid decades of energy exploration.

"The crayfish that I sell for a living, now they are all dead," said Afieyegha Seiyefa, showing her oilcovered hands after reaching into the water where just a few weeks ago she could fish for a living. "We cannot get anything." Aiteo has said the high pressure of the leak made access to the wellhead difficult. In a statement today, it said Halliburton subsidiary Boots and Coots would contain the leak within days and was mopping up oil with booms and barges.

Environment minister Sharon Ikeazor told journalists this week that the government was considering tougher penalties for firms involved in spills.