The Management of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Ltd. (SEPCOL) has confirmed that there was a fire incident at its offshore Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FSPO) facility on Wednesday.
The FSPO, popularly called the Trinity Spirit was gutted by fire Wednesday morning, with 10 persons allegedly feared missing.
The SEPCOL Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ikemefuna Okafor, (In receivership), made the confirmation in a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos, saying that the explosion occurred at the Trinity Spirit FSPO located at the Ukpokiti Terminal at the early hours of Wednesday.
He said: “The cause of the explosion is currently being investigated and we are working with necessary parties to contain the situation.
“At this time, there are no reported fatalities, but we can confirm that there were 10 crew men on board the vessel prior to the incident and we are prioritising investigations with respect to their safety and security.”
“We appreciate the assistance provided us by the Clean Nigeria Associates, the Chevron team operating in the nearby Escravos facility and our community stakeholders.
“We also appreciate the fishermen who have been of tremendous assistance since the incident happened.”
Okafor said the company had duly notified all relevant authorities and appealed to the members of the public to stay away from the area.
He added that SEPCOL’s Crisis Management Team would continue to monitor the situation and update all stakeholders with new information as the investigation evolves.
SEPCOL, according to unconfirmed sources was founded by an indigenous industry investor and eminent surgeon, Dr ABC Orjiakor; jointly with Platform Petroleum Limited established by eminent geologist, Mr Austin Avuru,
Another report indicated that SEPCOL promoters highlighted that the facility is currently in receivership, making ownership of the company a little complicated; and also raising issues about the professional handling of its operations.
