13 crew members still missing as oil production vessel explodes

*Production of 22,000bpd suspended

*Search for crew members, containment, investigation ongoing

*Oil prices to rise further

THE production of about 22,000 barrels of oil per-day has been suspended following the explosion of a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading, FPSO, in Ukpokiti Terminal, Delta State, which may have claimed 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.

The company has also commenced the search for 13 crew members on board the facility at the time of the explosion.

Chief Executive Officer, SEPCOL, Ikemefuna Okafor, who confirmed the incident, said: “The management of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Ltd, SEPCOL, in recievership hereby announce the unfortunate incident of a fire that engulfed our offshore facility, the FPSO Trinity Spirit located at the Ukpokiti Terminal, following an explosion during the early hours of Wednesday, February 2, 2022.

“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 crewmen onboard 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.

“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.”

Oil market

Meanwhile, the price of Nigeria’s Bonny Light continued to hover at $90.08 per barrel, indicating $28.08 in excess of the nation’s $62 per barrel 2022 budget benchmark.

However, there were indications that the international oil market might respond to the development in the coming days.

In its latest report, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, had accused some of its members, including Nigeria, of their inability to meet production quota.

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