Feb. 3, 2022

The Management of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Ltd. (SEPCOL) has confirmed an explosion at its offshore Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FSPO) facility on Wednesday.

In a statement on Thursday, Mr. Ikemefuna Okafor, Chief Executive Officer, SEPCOL (In receivership), said an explosion occurred at the Trinity Spirit FSPO located at the Ukpokiti Terminal at the early hours of Wednesday.

“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 as well as fishermen, who have been of tremendous assistance since the incident happened,” Okafor stated.

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.