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By Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Ten crew members are missing as fire engulfed a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel named ‘Trinity Spirit’ in Ukpokiti terminal, around Excravos, Warri South West, Delta State.
The incident, it was gathered, occurred on Wednesday.
Chief Executive Officer, Shebah Exploration and Production Company Ltd (in receivership), Ikemefuna Okafor, confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday, saying that no fatalities recorded so far.
“The management of Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL) 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, 2nd of February, 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 crewmen 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 continues to monitor the situation and update all stakeholders with new information as the investigation evolves,” the statement read.
