FPSO Explosion Off Nigeria: 3 Of 6 Crew Members Found Dead; 4 Still Missing

Two more crew members have been discovered dead on the oil vessel that recently exploded and sunk, the management of Shebah Exploration and Production Company (SEPCOL) has informed. The 1976-built vessel blew up on 2 February and remained ablaze for over a day. It had 10 crew members when the blast happened on Wednesday, Nigeria’s SEPCOL reported, mentioning that three dead individuals were found on Sunday after three were found to be alive over the last week.

Two sources from the oil industry and another environmental group have said that the vessel was ill-maintained and old at the time of the blast. One source also added that some major trading companies had even refrained from using it to store their crude.

Some government regulators paid a visit to the wreck on 5 February and Shebah is due to meet them once again on Tuesday. The firm said that it would be cleaning up the area to minimize damages to the environment simultaneously seeking to establish the cause behind the explosion.

The environment minister of Nigeria declared on Saturday that the vessel was reportedly storing approximately 50,000-60,000 barrels of crude below its capacity of two million barrels. The government’s National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency carried out its second aerial examination on Monday.

Reference: bloombergquint.com

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