NOSDRA to undertake flight supervision of FPSO explosion site

FPSO Trinity Spirit on fire

National Oil Spill Detection Response Agency (NOSDRA) would on Sunday and Monday undertake an overflight surveillance of the Upkokiti oil fields to ascertain the status of the extinguished fire incident on the oil field.

The Minister of Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, who said this in a statement from the ministry also stated that the flight surveillance would be undertaken until the sheen in the oil fields is completely tackled to forestall a reoccurrence.

According to the statement signed by Director Press, Federal Ministry of Environment, Saghir el Mohammed, the fire which engulfed the Floating Production Storage and Offtake of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited (SEPCOL), has been ‘totally’ extinguished.

However, she maintained that the future air surveillance would continue, until whatever remnants of oil in the FPSO is evacuated and measures evolved to forestall a recurrence of such kind of incident.

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The statement recalled that Ikeazor had on Friday assured that necessary efforts are being made to ensure the fire incident at Ukpokiti oil field was contained after a fire engulfed a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel named ‘Trinity Spirit’ in the early hours of Wednesday.

The statement reads in part “According to the Environment Minister, a joint investigation visit to the incident area, as well as the FPSO, was undertaken on Saturday by NOSDRA, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Ondo State Ministry of Environment, Representatives of Communities proximate to the Area and staff of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited.

“While the cause of the fire incident is yet to be fully determined, the environment around the FPSO is only slightly covered by the sheen and emulsified oil.

It was earlier reported that the approximate quantity of oil in the FPSO in the recent past was said to be a little less than 200 000 barrels. One of the operators utilizing the services provided by the FPSO was said to have made an Offtake of approximate 120,000 barrels before the incident; leaving an estimated 50-60 000 barrels in the FPSO as at the time of the fire incident.

“NOSDRA will continue to give updates on this incident after each aerial surveillance scheduled for today and Monday,” Ikeazor assured.

Osaretin Osadebamwen