A production and storage vessel, ‘Trinity Spirit’ has exploded off the coast of Nigeria with ten crew members on board feared dead, as reports indicated the incident occurred on Wednesday night, February 3, 2022.
Although the extent of damage caused by the explosion on the environment is not known, it poses several risks including the potential oil spillage into the sea and emission of carbon particles into the air.
The incident was said to have triggered panic among workers manning other oil facilities close by, as they watched helplessly as fire continued to raze the facility.
Fishermen were said to be the first rescuers to arrive at the area but then the intensity of the fire prevented them from going anywhere close to the scene.
According to some sources, as at 4am on Thursday, February 4, 2022, emergency workers of Chevron and another multinational oil company whose facilities were close by tried to help out.
Meanwhile, this incident marks the second time in 4 months for such an explosion to have occurred in Nigeria. A wellhead belonging to Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company in the Bayelsa State blew up on November 5, 2021.
The Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, operated by Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited is located at the Ukpokiti terminal, around Excravos, Warri, South-west Delta state.
With a storage capacity of about 2 million barrels of oil, the FPSO Trinity Spirit can process up to 22,000 barrels per day.
Investigations Prioritize Missing Workers
Confirming the incident in a statement, the Company’s CEO, Ikemefuna Okafor indicated that “the cause of the explosion is currently being investigated and we are working with necessary parties to contain the situation”.
Although there are no reported fatalities as yet, the Company said “but we can confirm that there were ten crewmen on board the vessel prior to the incident and we are prioritizing 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”.
Ikemefuna Okafor, CEO, Shebah E&P
Okafor indicated that it duly notified all relevant authorities and “… 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.”
In 2004, SEPCOL acquired all of 40 per cent of ConocoPhillips equity interest in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 108 and by virtue of that acquisition became the technical operator of the block. Express Petroleum and Camac Limited own the remaining 60 per cent equity interest on OML 108.
The FPSO Trinity Spirit serves as the primary production facility for the block. The Ukpokiti field was discovered in 1993, the licence was converted into oil mining lease (OML) 108 in 1996.
SEPCOL (now in receivership), is owned by a combination of Nigerian and overseas corporate entities including Abbeycourt Trading Company Limited (ATCO), Abbeycourt Petroleum Company Limited and Allenne Limited.
READ ALSO: Oil Revenues Account for 7.3% of Total Revenue, 17.3% Above 2020 Figures
