Thursday, March 28, 2024

3 crew members rescued, 1 unidentified body found in burnt FPSO facility

Uba Group

Three of the 10 crew members on board FPSO Trinity Spirit belonging to Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited have been rescued from the fire outbreak that engulfed the facility, the company’s management says.

FPSO Trinity Spirit, the company’s offshore facility,
went up in flames in the early hours of last week Wednesday following an explosion.

The company’s management said that a dead body, whose identity had yet to be established, was recovered from the scene.

A statement signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Ikemefuna Okafor, made available to journalists, on Sunday, read, “The Management of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited, in receivership, hereby provides further update on the missing crew members following the unfortunate explosion and subsequent fire that engulfed the FPSO Trinity Spirit at the Ukpokiti Terminal in the early hours of Wednesday, 2nd of February 2022.

“We can confirm that three 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.

“As earlier confirmed, the fire burnt out completely as of Thursday afternoon, 3rd February 2022, thus enabling closer inspection of the vessel.

“A Joint Investigation Visit 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 seven 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, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Shell Petroleum Development Company, National Maritime Administration and Security Agency and people in the community, particularly the fishermen, who have been of immense assistance since the incident occurred.”

It urged the members of the public to maintain a safe distance from the scene of the accident as the company’s Crisis Management Team monitored developments in the investigations and update stakeholders with relevant information.

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