Two More Bodies Recovered After Trinity Spirit Oil Vessel Explosion

Two more bodies have been recovered from the deck of the FPSO Trinity Spirit oil vessel which was engulfed in fire at the Ukpokiti Terminal on Wednesday.

This was confirmed by managers of the vessel Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL) in a statement on Monday.

SEPCOL confirmed on Sunday that one body had been found dead and three other crew members found alive.

Ten crew members were said to have been onboard at the time of the explosion.

The whereabouts of four crew members remain unknown.

“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 under way,” the Monday statement signed by SEPCOL CEO Ikemefuna Okafor said.

“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.

“We thank the following organisations who have been of tremendous assistance since the unfortunate incident happened; Clean Nigeria Associates, Chevron, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), NIMASA, and the communities, particularly the fishermen who helped with the initial
rescue.

“Our Crisis Management Team will continue to monitor developments in the investigations and update all stakeholders with new information accordingly. We appeal to members of the public to keep away from the area and contact the company with any information that may assist our investigations.”