By Solomon Asowata
The Management of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Ltd. (SEPCOL) said the company would is continuing investigations to establish the whereabouts of the ten crew members who were on board its offshore Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility at Ukpokiti field (OML 108) in Delta which exploded in the early hours of Wednesday.
The company, according to NAN, said this while confirming that the fire which engulfed the offshore vessel has burnt out completely.
Mr Ikemefuna Okafor, Chief Executive Officer, SEPCOL (In receivership), confirmed the development in a statement on Saturday in Lagos.
Okafor said the company had been working with the relevant authorities and stakeholders to contain the situation.
According to him, an investigation has been launched to establish the cause of the explosion.
He said: “We can confirm that the fire burnt out completely as of Thursday afternoon and this has enabled closer inspection of the vessel.
“With this development, a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) has been scheduled for Feb. 5 with the relevant authorities, stakeholders and expert organisations.”
Okafor said there was still no reported fatalities from the incident.
He said the company would, however, continue prioritising investigations with respect to establishing the whereabouts, safety, and security of the ten crew members who were on board the vessel prior to the incident.
Okafor lauded the assistance provided by the Clean Nigeria Associates, the Chevron team, government agencies and the people of the community, particularly the fishermen since the incident occurred.
He said, “members of the public should continue to keep away from the area while our Crisis Management Team monitors developments in the investigations and update all stakeholders with new information accordingly.”