By An explosion has rocked a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit belonging to Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited (SEPCOL) located in Escravos area of Delta State.
According to reports, the unfortunate incident occurred on Wednesday night, claiming the lives of yet-to-be-ascertained number of oil workers. Scores of seafarers and project crew have also been declared missing.
Daily Trust reported that the vessel produce crude oil and it is said to be situated around Meren, a North field oil facility belonging to multinational oil and gas in Escravos area of Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.
Confirming the incident in a statement, the management of SEPCOL said it received the news with shock.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Ikemefuna Okafor stated that the cause of the explosion is being investigated, adding that all necessary parties are working to contain the situation.
He added, “At this time there are no reported fatalities, but we can confirm that there were ten 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.
“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 continue to monitor the situation and update all stakeholders with new information as the investigation evolves.”
