Nneka Nwogwugwu
The management of Shebah
Exploration & Production Company Limited (SEPCOL), in receivership, has confirmed the safety of three crew members of the FPSO Trinity Spirit that was engulfed by fire at Ukpokiti on Wednesday.
The company disclosed this in an update released on Sunday and signed by Ikemefuna Okafor, Chief Executive Officer of SEPCOL in Receivership.
The statement says the three crew members who were among the ten hitherto declared missing when the vessel caught fire in the early hours of Wednesday, 2nd of February 2022, have been found alive.
“We can confirm that three (3) crew members have been found alive in the community and our priority is to ensure that they receive the appropriate medical attention they need”.
“Furthermore, in the early hours of Sunday, 6th February, 2022, one dead body was discovered in the vicinity of the FPSO”, he said.
However, the statement says the dead body was yet to be identified to ascertain if he is one of the seven crew members still missing.
Mr. Okafor explained further that the fire burnt out completely as of Thursday afternoon, 3rd February 2022, thus enabling closer inspection of the vessel.
He said a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) with the relevant authorities, stakeholders, and expert organisations was undertaken on Saturday, 5th February 2022.
The focus of the joint efforts, according to Mr Okafor, is to prioritise investigations towards establishing the whereabouts, safety, and security of the seven crew members who are still missing.
He said the company is similarly focusing on the clean up and containment of the damage to the environment of incident, and establishing the cause of the explosion.
Mr. Okafor expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Clean Nigeria Associates, the Chevron team,
NOSDRA, NUPRC, SPDC, NIMASA and people in the community.
He expressed special gratitude to the fishermen “who have been of immense assistance since the incident occurred”.
He urged members of the public to continue to keep away from the area while the company’s Crisis Management Team monitors developments in the investigations, promising to update all stakeholders with new information accordingly.
