Ukpokiti oil blast: Three crewmen found alive, 1 unknown man dead
Sopuruchi Onwuka
Four days after the fire explosion at the shallow water Ukpokiti oilfield, three crew members of the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, the Trinity Spirit, have been found alive in a local community in the Escravos area of Delta State.
Operator of the Oil Mining License (OML) 108, Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL), which disclosed the cheery news in an update on Sunday, also declared recovery of an unidentified dead man in the vicinity of the fire incident which engulfed the Trinity Spirit.
In an update on the missing crew members on Sunday, the Chief Executive Officer of SEPCOL, Mr Ikemefuna Okafor, stated that the fire burnt out on Thursday and paved way for the company to embark on joint investigation visit with regulators and other stakeholders on Saturday.
“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,” he declared in the update.
He confirmed that the joint investigation visit and closer inspection of the burnt vessel were made as scheduled.
He restated that “the focus of our joint efforts is to prioritize 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.”
He acknowledged 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 Oracle Today reports that SEPCOL had earlier declared formal investigation into the whereabouts, safety, and security of the ten crew members who were on board operated production vessel which exploded in fire and burnt down last Wednesday.
The Oracle Today reports that the FPSO Trinity Spirit had caught fire and burnt down last Wednesday at the offshore Ukpokiti field located at the Escravos area, Western Niger Delta.
The ten crew men on board the vessel when the incident happened were not accounted for even after the fire had burnt out on Thursday and the water was clear of any spill.
A source from one of the companies operating in the Escravos area told The Oracle Today that the vessel had been lying dormant for years and there was hardly any serious activity in it.
Our checks show that the production at the Ukpokiti field had been on fast decline and frequent downtime, pulling SEPCOL into cash flow difficulties that led to its current receivership management.
Whereas he stated that no casualty has been reported, he did not account for the missing crew men who were on the vessel.
“Currently, there are still no reported fatalities, and we continue prioritizing investigations with respect to establishing the whereabouts, safety, and security of the ten crew members who were on board the vessel prior to the incident,” he said.
Mr Okafor confirmed activation of pan industry regional incident response operations on the FPSO Trinity Spirit fire blast. He also advised non experts and others not directly involved in incident response operations to stay away from vicinity.
“We appreciate the assistance provided us by the Clean Nigeria Associates, the Chevron team, NOSDRA, NUPRC, SPDC and people in the community, particularly the fishermen, who have been of immense assistance since the incident occurred.
“Members of the public should continue to keep away from the area while our Crisis Management Team monitors developments in the investigations and update all stakeholders with new information accordingly,” he said.
