Silence on missing oil workers three days after Escravos explosion

Three days after an explosion occurred on-board a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit located in Escravos area of Delta State, there is silence from the regulator authorities or Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited (SEPCOL) about the lives of 13 crew members.

The facility, known as FPSO Trinity Spirit, an asset of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Ltd, SEPCOL, which exploded and sank Wednesday has impacted negatively on the operations of the company.

Already, SEPCOL, Chevron team and Clean Nigeria Associates, have teamed up to contain the situation while investigation to unravel the cause is ongoing.

Three days after the incident, Findings by BusinessDay showed there is no clarity on casualties due to the massive fire which erupted on-board the vessel, but it was learnt that about 10 persons were within the facility when the incident happened, who are yet to be accounted for at the time of going to press.

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A statement by the Chief Executive Officer, Shebah Exploration and Production Company Ltd (in receivership), Ikemefuna Okafor, was silent on whether there were casualties or injuries.

“At this time, there are no reported fatalities, but we can confirm that there were 10 crewmen onboard the vessel prior to the incident and we are prioritising investigations with respect to their safety and security,” Okafor said.

The statement added, “We have duly notified all relevant authorities and we appeal to the members of the public to stay away from the area while our Crisis Management Team continues to monitor the situation and update all stakeholders with new information as the investigation evolves.”

In a press statement on Friday, Sharon Ikeazor, minister of state for environment, says necessary efforts are being made to ensure the fire incident at Ukpokiti oil field is contained.

“So far, no fatality has been reported. A joint investigation of the incident is planned for the weekend before which the fire incident would have been fully controlled,” Ikeazor said.