The management of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited (SEPCOL) in Receivership in a further update on the explosion and fire incident on its facility at Ukpokiti Terminal in Delta State, has announced the discovery of 2 additional dead bodies.
This is coming a day after the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), had notified SEPCOL of a dead body found floating in the vicinity of its Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility.
This disclosure is contained in a public announcement titled, ‘Update on Explosion and Fire Incident on Trinity Spirit FPSO’, issued by SEPCOL and signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Ikemefuna Okafor.
Okafor in the statement noted that this brings the total number of people accounted for to 6, adding that the oil firm has made incident reports to the police and relevant authorities to assist the ongoing investigation, and due process to establish the identities of the dead bodies is underway.
He also assured that SEPCOL will place priority at establishing the whereabouts, safety, and security of the remaining 4 crew members who are still missing.
The statement partly reads, ‘The Management of Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL) in RECIEVERSHIP, announce further developments on the ongoing investigations into the unfortunate explosion and fire that engulfed the FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading), Trinity Spirit at the Ukpokiti Terminal in the early hours of Wednesday, 2nd of February 2022.
‘’Per our previous statement, the fire burnt out completely as of Thursday afternoon, 3rd of February 2022, thus enabling closer inspection of the vessel. Working with the relevant authorities, stakeholders, and expert organisations, a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) took place on Saturday, 5th February 2022.
‘’We also reported that on Sunday morning, 6th February 2022, Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency, (NIMASA) notified us of a dead body found floating in the vicinity of the FPSO. We can confirm today that two further dead bodies were discovered on the deck of the vessel in the afternoon of the same Sunday.
‘’We have made incident reports to the police and relevant authorities to assist the ongoing investigation, and due process to establish the identities of the dead bodies is under way.
‘’Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all the victims of this unfortunate incident, and we are on hand to provide support to them as required. Thus far, the potential total number of the crew members accounted for is six, including the three persons who were found alive last week.
‘’Our priority remains focused towards establishing the whereabouts, safety, and security of the four crew members still missing.’’
The oil firm insisted that it is committed to cleaning up the area to minimise any damage to the environment and seek to ascertain the exact cause of the explosion.
It also expressed its appreciation to Clean Nigeria Associates, Chevron, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), NIMASA, and the communities, particularly the fishermen who helped with the initial rescue, for their support since the unfortunate incident.
- Recall that a few days ago, Nairametrics in a report, disclosed that the management of Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL) in RECEIVERSHIP, in a statement, confirmed the unfortunate incident of a fire outbreak that engulfed its offshore facility, the FPSO Trinity Spirit located at the Ukpokiti Terminal.
- The fire outbreak was said to have been caused by an explosion that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, 2nd of February 2022.
- Meawhile, SEPCOL had on Sunday revealed that 3 crew members from the Trinity Spirit Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel at the Ukpokiti Terminal that exploded last Wednesday have been found alive in a yet to be identified community.
