Nigeria launches investigation into Ukpokiti Oil Field fire outbreak

The Nigerian government has launched an investigation to ascertain the cause of a fire oubreak at the Ukpokiti Oil Field in Delta State.

The government also announced that the  recent fire incident involving the Floating Production Storage and offtake of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited SEPCOL, at Ukpokiti Oil Field, has been totally extinguished.

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor who made the announcement, said the National Oil Spill Detection Response Agency, NOSDRA, will also go for overflight on 6th and 7th February 2022, to monitor the situation of crude spill in the sea.

Ikeazor noted that the overflight operation would be sustained in the weeks ahead, till remnants of oil in the FPSO was evacuated and measures evolved to forestall a recurrence of such incident.

“The fire incident at Ukpokiti Oil Field was eventually contained on the evening of Thursday, February 3, 2022,” she stated.

She said NOSDRA had an overflight on the incident area to ascertain from the air what the surrounding conditions were, after extinguishing the fire.

According to her, a joint investigation visit to the incident area, as well as the FPSO, was undertaken by NOSDRA, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, the Ondo State Ministry of Environment, Representatives of Communities close to the Area and staff of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited.

While the cause of the fire incident is yet to be fully determined, the environment around the FPSO is only slightly covered by sheen and emulsified oil.

It was earlier reported that the approximate quantity of oil in the FPSO in the recent past was said to be a little less than 200 000 barrels.

“One of the  operators utilizing the services provided by the FPSO was said to have made an Offtake of approximate 120,000 barrels before the incident, leaving an estimated 50-60  000 barrels in the FPSO as at the time of the fire incident,” the Minister explained.

She said NOSDRA would continue to give updates on the incident after each aerial surveillance.

Ikeazor had said on Friday that necessary efforts are being made to ensure the fire incident at Ukpokiti oil field was contained, after a fire engulfed a floating production, storage and offloading, FPSO vessel named ‘Trinity Spirit’ in the early hours of Wednesday  2nd February 2022.

Confidence Okwuchi