10 crew missing as oil production vessel explodes in Niger Delta

A Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) belonging to Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited (SEPCOL) has exploded in Excravos, Delta State.

The explosion of the FPSO named Trinity Spirit occurred Wednesday February 2, 2022 in the Ecravos area of Warri South West Local government area of the state.

The incident was said to have caused an intense fire offshore, thus causing fear in the area.

It wasn’t immediately clear if there were casualties due to the massive fire which erupted on-board the vessel, but it was learnt that about 10 persons were within the facility when the incident occurred who had yet to be accounted for at the time of going to press.

A statement by the Chief Executive Officer, Shebah Exploration and Production Company Ltd (in receivership), Ikemefuna Okafor, was silent on whether there were casualties or injuries.

In the release titled: “Fire Incident On The Trinity Spirit FPSO,” the company announced that the incident happened in the early hours of Wednesday.

While stating that investigations were going on to ascertain the actual cause of the explosion, the organisation noted that as required, it had already reported the matter to the appropriate government agencies.

It further confirmed that there were 10 crew members, but that everything was being done to ensure their safety and security.

“The management of Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL) in receivership, hereby announces the unfortunate incident of a fire that engulfed our offshore facility, the FPSO Trinity Spirit located at the Ukpokiti Teminal, following an explosion during the early hours of Wednesday, 2nd of February 2022.

“The cause of the explosion is currently being investigated and we are working with necessary parties to contain the situation.

“At this time there are no reported fatalities, but we can confirm that there were 10 crew men on board the vessel prior to the incident and we are prioritising investigations with respect to their safety and security,” the company said.

SEPCOL further appreciated the assistance provided by the Clean Nigeria Associates (CNA), the Chevron team operating in the nearby Escravos facility and its community stakeholders as well as fishermen, who it said had been of tremendous assistance since the incident happened.

“We have duly notified all relevant authorities and we appeal to the members of the public to stay away from the area while our crisis management team continues to monitor the situation and update all stakeholders with new information as the investigation evolves,” it stated.