Some crew members are currently missing as a result of an explosion that hit a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel belonging to Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited (SEPCOL) offshore Nigeria.

An unconfirmed report has it that a yet to be ascertained number of workers were missing in the FPSO Trinity Spirit explosion, which occurred around Escravos, offshore Delta State early Wednesday.

The management of SEPCOL said it received with shock the unfortunate incident.

A statement signed the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Ikemefuna Okafor, said in receivership announced the unfortunate incident of fire that engulfed their offshore facility.

“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,” he said.

Culled from Slyenews