By Ayo Kehinde
The vessel
The Chief Executive of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Ltd, SECPCO, which exploded bear Warri in Delta State, Nigeria, Mr Ikemefuna Okafor has said there were no immediate reports of fatalities of its vessel.
“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,” he said, adding that “investigations were underway to establish the cause of the explosion in the early hours of Wednesday while attempts to contain the situation were being made with help from local communities and Chevron, which has a facility nearby.”
The vessel said to be carrying 500, 000 barrels of crude oil in storage exploded and spilled its content into the sea and heavy, dark smoke billowing in the area with concerns over the possible environmental impact of an explosion and pollution.
It is still not clear how much oil has spilled into the sea, and the fate of its 10 crew members is also unknown.
Reports say the vessel can hold up to two million barrels of oil, but an industry source said there were about 50,000 barrels in storage when it exploded on Thursday morning.
Soon after, footage from the scene near Warri in the Niger Delta showed a huge cloud of dark smoke billowing from the Trinity Spirit which was on fire and partly submerged.
SEPCOL is in receivership, a form of bankruptcy protection.
