Trinity Spirit Oil Tanker, Loaded With 50,000 Barrels of Oil, Exploded With 10 Crew Members Onboard Last Wednesday (02/02)

FPSO Capable of Storing About 2 Million Barrels of Oil Explodes with 10 Crew Members Off the Coast of Nigeria. The Oil Tanker Can Process Up to 22,000 Barrels Per Day

“An oil tanker exploded off the coast of Nigeria early Wednesday, and ten crew members were on board,” said Ikemefuna Okafor, CEO of the oil company. “The cause of the explosion is being investigated as the work of ‘necessary parties’ to contain the situation,” he added. It was not immediately clear how much damage was done or how much oil was spilled into the nearby waters, as fears rise over possible fatalities.

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“At this time, there are no reported fatalities, but we can confirm that there were 10 crew members on board the vessel before the incident and we are prioritizing investigations regarding their safety,” said Ikemefuna Okafor, executive director of the Nigerian company Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL), in a statement made to Reuters.

Watch the Video Below to See the Moment They Attempt to Contain the Flames of the Trinity Spirit Oil Tanker

Oil Tanker Trinity Spirit Held About 50,000 Barrels but Was Not Producing Crude Oil

With a capacity to store up to 2 million barrels of oil, Trinity Spirit held about 50,000 barrels but was not producing crude oil from the Ukpokiti oil field in offshore block OML 108 in Nigeria when it exploded, an industry source told Reuters.

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“We have duly notified all relevant authorities and appealed to 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,” said SEPCOL.

“It is estimated that the oil tanker burned its last gas in late July 2021,” said TankerTrackers. “This suggests that the Trinity Spirit has not produced anything since that date, considering that gas flaring during crude oil production is widespread in the entire region,” noted TankerTrackers.

The oil tanker was still on fire on Thursday night, said Idris Musa, the general director of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency.

International Oil Companies Like Shell Plc Are Selling Their Remaining Assets on Land and Shallow Waters in Nigeria

This would be the sixth-largest oil spill in Nigeria so far this year, tracking services added.

SEPCOL is “prioritizing investigations regarding their safety” and has notified all relevant authorities about the development, Okafor said.

Shebah is under judicial liquidation, according to the company’s statement. “The company offered the vessel, which is owned by a related company, to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, the state debt recovery agency, to pay part of its debts,” a spokesperson for the government agency said. “The process had not yet been completed,” he said.

Nigerian authorities have taken action in the past to contain such disasters that experts argue occur frequently as a result of non-compliance with industry regulations. In December, Nigerian federal lawmakers said that a wellhead had spilled more than 2 million barrels of oil and gas in the Niger Delta region over the course of a month.

The incident raises growing concerns about the environmental legacy of the oil industry in Nigeria. In November, a well operated by independent producer Aiteo Eastern E&P Co. exploded, releasing oil and gas into the air and surrounding river for five weeks before being capped.

As international companies like Shell Plc sell their remaining assets on land and in shallow waters in the country, activists and local communities fear they will withdraw without addressing the widespread damage allegedly caused by decades of oil extraction.

Residents are often affected, suffering from polluted land, water, and air, experts say.