By Tife Owolabi

YENAGOA, Nigeria, May 6 (Reuters) - Nigeria's

Renaissance Africa Energy Co. Ltd has halted oil shipments via

its Okordia-Rumuekpe pipeline in the coastal Rivers state

following a spill, the independent oil firm said on Tuesday.

The pipeline, which transports crude oil south to the

Rumuekpe manifold for export via the Bonny terminal, experienced

the spill in the early hours of Monday in Ikata community in the

Ahoada East district of the state, according to the Youths and

Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria). The environmental

group's volunteer network initially detected the spill.

Renaissance, owner of a former Shell onshore subsidiary

which operates the pipeline, has halted production into the

pipeline and taken measures to minimize potential environmental

damage, a spokesperson said in a statement.

While Renaissance did not disclose the cause or scale of the

spill, YEAC-Nigeria said it was likely due to third-party

interference, with crude oil spreading into the surrounding

environment.

Renaissance has notified government regulators and is

coordinating a joint investigation with regulatory bodies and

the local community.

Persistent oil spills and pipeline vandalism plague

Nigeria's oil-rich Niger River delta, causing pollution that

harms local communities and ecosystems, and frequently

disrupting oil production.

Volunteers who visited the site of the Okordia-Rumuekpe

spill found evidence of excavation and vandalism on the

pipeline, said Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, a YEAC-Nigeria

director.