Oil vessel explodes off coast of Nigeria with 10 crew members on board

Footage circulating on social media shows the vessel sinking as huge clouds of thick black smoke billow into the sky - with an investigation under way to determine the cause of the fire.

 

 

A production and storage vessel which can hold up to two million barrels of oil has exploded off the coast of Nigeria with 10 crew members on board.

The FPSO Trinity Spirit, with can process up to 22,000 barrels of oil per day, was situated near Warri in southern Nigeria when it burst into flames.

The vessel, which is also used for offloading, is owned by Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL), whose chief executive Ikemefuna Okafor said there were no immediate reports of fatalities.

Footage circulating on social media shows the vessel sinking as huge clouds of thick black smoke billow into the sky.

The footage also appears to show water being sprayed on the fire from another vessel.

“We can confirm that there were 10 crew men on board (The FPSO Trinity Spirit) prior to the incident and we are prioritizing investigations with respect to their safety and security,” Mr Okafor said.

He added that investigations were under way 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.

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