Explosion rocks Trinity Spirit offshore facility, 10 workers’ fate uncertain

A Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel has exploded at the Ukpokiti Terminal, around Excravos, Warri South-West, Delta State.

Although no fatalities had been reported, but 10 crew men were on board the vessel prior to the incident.

The huge facility known as TRINITY SPIRIT has a capacity to process 22,000 barrels of oil per day and store two million barrels of oil.

The facility is owned by Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited (SEPCOL). The company acquired ConocoPhillips’ 40% equity interest in OML 108 in 2004.

The Management of SEPCOL has confirmed that there was a fire incident at its offshore FSPO facility on Wednesday.

Mr. Ikemefuna Okafor, Chief Executive Officer, SEPCOL (In receivership), made the confirmation in a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos.

Okafor said an explosion occurred at the Trinity Spirit FSPO located at the Ukpokiti Terminal at 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 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.”

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

He added that SEPCOL’s Crisis Management Team would continue to monitor the situation and update all stakeholders with new information as the investigation evolves.

TheStar