Nigerian oil company confirms explosion at its offshore facility, crew members missing

03 Feb Nigerian oil company confirms explosion at its offshore facility, crew members missing

The Management of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Ltd. (SEPCOL) has confirmed a fire incident at its offshore 22,000B/D Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FSPO) facility on Wednesday.

The huge facility, TRINITY SPIRIT, was built in 1976 (46 years ago), with a carrying capacity of 274774 Dead Weight Tonnage (DWT) and overall length of 337.05 meters as well as a width of 54.5 meters.

The asset is owned by Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited (SEPCOL) which in 2004 acquired all of 40 per cent of ConocoPhillips equity interest in OML 108.

Ikemefuna Okafor, the chief executive officer, SEPCOL (in receivership), confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos.

Mr Okafor said an explosion occurred at the Trinity Spirit FSPO located at the Ukpokiti Terminal in the early hours of Wednesday.

He said: “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.

“We appreciate the assistance provided to us by the Clean Nigeria Associates, the Chevron team operating in the nearby Escravos facility and our community stakeholders.

“We also appreciate the fishermen who have been of tremendous assistance since the incident happened.”

Mr Okafor said the company has duly notified all relevant authorities and appealed to the members of the public to stay away from the area.

SEPCOL’s Crisis Management Team would continue to monitor the situation and provide updates with new information as the investigation evolves, he said. (NAN)