Some oil workers and seafarers are reportedly missing after an explosion rocked the Floating Production Storage and Offloading unit they were aboard.
The sad incident happened on Wednesday evening, February 2, and as at the time of filing this report the number of casualties is still unknown.
It was gathered that workers aboard other oil facilities in the area were watching helplessly as the inferno ravaged the vessel.
According to reports, the vessel is owned by Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited (SEPCOL) located in Escravos area of Delta state.
The management of SEPCOL has now reacted to the incident in a statement released by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Ikemefuna Okafor.
The statement read,
“In RECEIVERSHIP hereby announce 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, February 2, 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 ten crew men on board the vessel prior to the incident and we are prioritising investigations with respect to their safety and security.
We appreciate the assistance provided us by the Clean Nigeria Associates, the Chevron team operating in the nearby Escravos facility and our community stakeholders as well as fishermen, who have 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 continue to monitor the situation and update all stakeholders with new information as the investigation evolves”
Watch a video of the explosion below,
