2 More Found Dead Beneath Vessel’s Deck, 4 Still Missing – SEPCOL On FPSO Explosion

The Management of Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL) in receivership, owner of exploded FPSO vessel, has said two more dead bodies have been discovered beneath the vessel deck.

BIGPENNGR had reported that the FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) Trinity Spirit had exploded at the Ukpokiti Terminal on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 with ten crew members onboard.

SEPCOL had on Sunday, February 6, in a statement by its Chief Executive Officer, Ikemefuna Okafor, said three crew members of the vessel were found alive and one yet-to-be identified dead body found within the vicinity of the vessel.

On Tuesday, Okafor in his latest statement said, “Per our previous statement, the fire burnt out completely as of Thursday afternoon, 3rd of February 2022, thus enabling closer inspection of the vessel. Working with the relevant authorities, stakeholders, and expert organisations, a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) took place
on Saturday, 5th February 2022.

“We also reported that on Sunday morning, 6th February 2022, Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency, (NIMASA) notified us of a dead body found floating in the vicinity of the
FPSO. We can confirm today that two further dead bodies were discovered on the deck of the vessel in the afternoon of the same Sunday.

“We have made incident reports to the police and relevant authorities to assist the ongoing investigation, and due process to establish the identities of the dead bodies is under way.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all the victims of this unfortunate incident, and we are on hand to provide support to them as required.

“Thus far, the potential total number of the crew members accounted for is six, including the three persons who were found alive last week.

“Our priority remains focused towards
establishing the whereabouts, safety, and security of the four crew members still missing.

“Furthermore, our efforts are geared towards cleaning up the area to minimise any damage to the environment and seeking to ascertain the exact cause of the explosion.

“We thank the following organisations who have been of tremendous assistance since the unfortunate incident happened; Clean Nigeria Associates, Chevron, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), NIMASA, and the communities, particularly the fishermen who helped with the initial
rescue.

“Our Crisis Management Team will continue to monitor developments in the investigations and update all stakeholders with new information accordingly. We appeal to members of the public to keep away from the area and contact the company with any information that may assist our
investigations”, the statement added.