SEPCOL: Two more crew members found dead, four still missing after fire incident

Shebah Exploration & Production Company (SEPCOL) says two more crew members on board the oil vessel that exploded and sunk have been found dead.

On Sunday, SEPCOL announced that three crew members were found alive, and one yet-to-be-identified dead body recovered from the vicinity of the FPSO.

Announcing further developments on Monday, SEPCOL, in a statement signed by Ikemefuna Okafor, chief executive officer (CEO), SEPCOL, said the two dead bodies were found on the vessel’s deck yesterday.

The floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel named ‘Trinity Spirit’ exploded last Wednesday with ten crew members on board.

The company said it would clean up the area to minimise any damage to the environment while seeking to ascertain the exact cause of the explosion.

“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,” the statement reads.

“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 underway.

“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. Furthermore, our efforts are geared towards cleaning up the area to minimise any damage to the environment and seeking to ascertain the exact cause of the explosion.

“We thank the following organisations who have been of tremendous assistance since the unfortunate incident happened; 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.

“Our Crisis Management Team will continue to monitor developments in the investigations and update all stakeholders with new information accordingly. We appeal to members of the public to keep away from the area and contact the company with any information that may assist our investigations.”

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.

She said the National Oil Spill Detection Response Agency (NOSDRA) had commenced overflight operations at the site of the exploded vessel to monitor the situation of crude spill in the sea.