ABUJA, Feb 5 (Reuters) – An oil storage vessel that exploded off the coast of Nigeria this week was holding around 50,000 to 60,000 barrels of crude oil at the time of the incident, Minister of Environment Sharon Ikeazor said on Saturday.
Nigeria’s Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL) said on Thursday that flames had engulfed the Trinity Spirit floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel following a blast a day earlier. read more
SEPCOL, in receivership, said it was working with authorities to inspect the vessel after the fire burnt out and an investigation team has been launched to establish the cause of the explosion.
It reported no casualties and is investigating the whereabouts and safety of 10 crew members who were on board the vessel prior to the incident, SEPCOL said in a statement.
A team of government investigators toured the site of the incident on Saturday but did not provide any comment.
An industry source with knowledge of operations of the Trinity Spirit FPSO said that until five years ago other companies, including large oil traders, stored their crude on the vessel, which had capacity to produce 22,000 barrels per day and could store 2 million barrels. read more
