By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A crude oil-producing vessel located at the Ukpokiti Terminal, Escravos, Warri, Delta State, has exploded, causing tension in the region as some workers on the facility were said to be missing after the incident.
It was gathered that the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel has the capacity to produce about 22,000 barrels of oil per day and can also inject about 40,000 barrels of water per day and store about 2 million barrels of oil.
Reports further said some inhabitants of the area where the unfortunate explosion occurred are afraid that their livelihood would be badly affected as the marine ecosystem was badly destroyed.
According to reports, the vessel, which serves as the primary production facility for Oil Mining Licence (OML) 108, caught fire in the early hours of Wednesday and caused panic among residents of the communities near and far away from the incident.
It was learned that the vessel, called Trinity Spirit, was built in 1976 and comes with a 274774 Dead Weight & a length of 337.05m & a weight of 54.5m.
The facility is situated around Meren, a North Field oil facility belonging to a multinational oil and gas company in the Escravos area of Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited (SEPCOL).
SEPCOL is owned by a combination of Nigerian and overseas corporate entities, including Abbeycourt Trading Company Limited (ATCO), Abbeycourt Petroleum Company Limited and Allenne Limited.
The firm, in a statement, confirmed that there were 10 crew members when the unfortunate incident happened but that everything was being done to ensure their safety and security.
However, it noted that, “The cause of the explosion is currently being investigated and we are working with necessary parties to contain the situation.”
“At this time there are no reported fatalities, but we can confirm that there were 10 crewmen onboard the vessel prior to the incident and we are prioritising investigations with respect to their safety and security,” it added.
The company disclosed that it has “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 continues to monitor the situation and update all stakeholders with new information as the investigation evolves.”
It thanked Clean Nigeria Associates (CNA), the Chevron team operating in the nearby Escravos facility and its community stakeholders as well as fishermen, for providing tremendous assistance since the incident happened.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Modupe Gbadeyanka