Three dead, seven missing as vessel explodes in Nigerian waters

Three seafarers have been confirmed dead while the whereabouts of seven others remain unknown after a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, Trinity Spirit, exploded on Wednesday.

The explosion caused raging fire and threatened fishing activities in some of Nigeria’s riverine communities in the Niger Delta area of the country.

According to findings, a loud explosion was heard around 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday around Meren oil facility offshore Escravos.

The FPSO vessel produces crude oil and is situated around Meren, a North Field oil facility belonging to a multinational oil and gas company in the Escravos area of Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

“The explosion has allegedly caused serious fear among workers manning oil facilities close by, including fishermen around the area.

“Three people have been confirmed dead while the whereabouts of seven others are still unknown. The explosion is a threat to Nigeria’s ecosystem. We have to look at it from the point of whether it is an active rig or not. It’s content matters. Irrespective of whether it’s an active rig or not, the fact that it has exploded is a threat to fishing in Nigeria’s riverine communities.

“That it exploded, it’s content are already spilled in the waters around communities close to where it exploded, and that means no fishing for these communities.

“Three bodies have been seen, but seven others who were on the FPSO when it exploded are currently unaccounted for,” one of the seafarers onboard a nearby oil platform told tbe Tribune Online.