[News] Oil workers missing as vessel explodes in Delta state

Seafarers and project crew are reportedly missing following an explosion which occurred onboard a Floating Production Storage and Offloading unit.

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening Februaryy 2, and it was also learnt that the unit belongs to Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited (SEPCOL) located in Escravos area of Delta state.

The explosion led to panic in the area as workers manning other oil facilities in the area, watched helplessly as the fire continued to ravage the facility.

The number of workers killed or injured by the explosion is still not clear at the time of filing this report.

The management of SEPCOL has reacted to the sad incident. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Ikemefuna Okafor said in a statement;

“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”