Death toll in FPSO explosion rises to three

Two more bodies have been recovered from Floating Production, Storage and Offloading Vessel (FPSO) Trinity Spirit that exploded and caught fire at the Ukpokiti Terminal at Escravos (Ugborodo), Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State last Wednesday.

The management of Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL) (in RECEIVERSHIP), in its update on the tragedy on Monday, said two bodies were recovered on Sunday afternoon.

SEPCOL Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ikemefuna Okafor, in a statement, disclosed that so far three bodies have been recovered, six crew members rescued alive and four persons still missing since the incident occurred.

He said the identity of the bodies is still being worked on by the relevant authorities, while efforts were on to rescue the crew members yet to be accounted for.

He added that efforts were also on, in line with the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) carried out with the relevant authorities, stakeholders on Saturday, January 5, 2022, to clean up the area.

“We can confirm today that two further dead bodies were discovered on the deck of the vessel in the afternoon of the same Sunday.

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“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 underway.

“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,” Mr Okafor enthused.

While appreciating Clean Nigeria Associates, Chevron, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), NIMASA, the communities and fishermen who accorded the initial rescue, he added that the company’s Crisis Management Team will continue to monitor developments just as he appealed to members of the public to keep off the crisis area.