EXCLUSIVE: Regulators ignored warnings on ‘bad shape’ of Trinity Spirit’s FPSO vessel before explosion

There were several warnings made to regulatory authorities over the state of a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel that exploded two weeks ago, TheCable understands.

The Trinity Spirit’s FPSO vessel, located at the Ukpokiti terminal, around Excravos, Warri south-west, Delta state, exploded with ten crew members on board on February 3, 2022.

Ikemefuna Okafor, chief executive officer (CEO) of Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL), had said three out of the ten crew members on board were found alive.

Three potential crew members were said to have been found dead while four are still missing.

SEPCOL is yet to shed light on the cause of the explosion, as investigations with regulators are ongoing.

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

A highly-placed source disclosed to TheCable that concerned persons had written to various authorities as far back as 2017 on the state of the vessel.

At the time, the vessel was already in bad shape with visible signs of dilapidation, according to the source.

TheCable understands that in spite of the petitions, no concrete action was taken on the matter by the owners and the regulators.

“There were complaints to the authorities about Trinity Spirit’s FPSO since April 2017,” the source said.

Several pictures seen by TheCable show the progressive deterioration and how badly managed the vessel was before the explosion.

In the pictures, the nuts and bolts were visibly rusted and worn out, while the cargo pump was seen to be leaking.

In 2004, SEPCOL acquired all of 40 percent of ConocoPhillips equity interest in OML 108 and, by virtue of the acquisition, became the technical operator of the block. Express Petroleum and Camac Limited own the remaining 60 percent 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, and 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.