Three crew members found alive after oil vessel fire incident, says SEPCOL

Shebah Exploration & Production Company Limited (SEPCOL) says three out of the ten crew members on board the oil vessel that exploded and sunk have been found alive. 

SEPCOL, in a statement signed by Ikemefuna Okafor, chief executive officer (CEO), said the members would receive appropriate medical attention.

The floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel named ‘Trinity Spirit’ exploded last Wednesday. The investigation team are yet to ascertain the cause of the incident.

The company had said ten crew members were onboard the facility when the incident occurred.

Providing an update on the incident on Sunday, Okafor said the team also discovered one yet-to-identified dead body in the vicinity of the FPSO.

“We can confirm that three (3) crew members have been found alive in the community and our priority is to ensure that they receive the appropriate medical attention they need. Furthermore, in the early hours of Sunday 6th February 2022, one dead body was discovered in the vicinity of the FPSO. The identity of the dead body is yet to be ascertained,” the statement reads.

“As earlier confirmed, the fire burnt out completely as of Thursday afternoon, 3rd Feb. 2022, thus enabling closer inspection of the vessel. A Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) with the relevant authorities, stakeholders and expert organisations took place on Saturday, 5th February 2022.

“The focus of our joint efforts is to prioritise investigations towards establishing the whereabouts, safety, and security of the 7 crew members still missing, clean up and limit damage to the environment, and establish the cause of the explosion.

“We appreciate the assistance provided by the Clean Nigeria Associates, the Chevron team, NOSDRA, NUPRC, SPDC, NIMASA and people in the community, particularly the fishermen, who have been of immense assistance since the incident occurred.”

On Saturday, the company said the fire burnt out completely and that a joint team with the relevant authorities, stakeholders and expert organisations have commenced investigations into the incident. 

The oil vessel was holding about 50-60 thousand barrels of crude oil at the time of the incident, Sharon Ikeazor, minister of state for environment, had said.