The management of Shebah Exploration and Production Company (SEPCOL) in Receivership has revealed that 3 crew members from the Trinity Spirit Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel at the Ukpokiti Terminal that exploded last Wednesday have been found alive.
The disclosure is coming about 4 days after the inferno that engulfed the offshore oil facility which is in Delta State occurred.
This was confirmed in a statement issued by the management of SEPCOL in Receivership on Sunday, February 6, where it said that the 3 crew members were found alive in a yet to be identified community.
What the CEO of SEPCOL is saying
The Chief Executive Officer of SEPCOL, Ikemefuna Okafor, who pointed out that one yet to be identified dead body was discovered at the facility, however, noted that the priority of the oil firm is to establish the whereabouts and safety of the 7 crew members that are still missing.
The statement partly reads, “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.
“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.’’
The company urged members of the public to continue to keep away from the area while its Crisis Management Team monitors developments in the investigations and updates all stakeholders with new information accordingly.
In case you missed it
- Recall that a few days ago, Nairametrics in a report, disclosed that the management of Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL) in RECEIVERSHIP, in a statement, confirmed the unfortunate incident of a fire outbreak that engulfed its offshore facility, the FPSO Trinity Spirit located at the Ukpokiti Terminal.
- The fire outbreak was said to have been caused by an explosion that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, 2nd of February 2022.
- The oil firm had also in a statement said that no casualties had been recorded so far since the explosion as they were investigating to determine the whereabouts of the 10 crew members.
