Nigeria-operated FPSO catches fire, sinks following onboard explosions

A floating production storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) suffered a series of explosions while off the coast of Nigeria on Wednesday, February 2.

Lagos-based Shebah Exploration and Production Company (SEPCOL) said the explosions on the FPSO Trinity Spirit occurred on the morning (local time) of Wednesday while it was deployed at the Ukpokiti oil field near the Niger Delta.

The vessel then caught fire and sank while still ablaze.

Ten crewmen were reportedly on board the vessel when the explosions occurred. No updates have yet been provided with regards to casualties.

SEPCOL chief executive Ikemefuna Okafor said in a statement that the cause of the explosion is currently being investigated and the company is cooperating with necessary parties to contain the situation.

Nigerian government officials meanwhile assured that work is underway to prevent the incident from inflicting further damage on the surrounding marine environment.

Trinity Spirit has a storage capacity of two million barrels of oil. However, SEPCOL has not yet provided details on the FPSO’s total cargo volume at the time of the incident.