The FPSO TRINITY SPIRIT became one of the worse, if not the worse, marine disasters ever to occur off the coast of Nigeria.
On the 02 February 2022 a series of on-board explosions led to a huge fire and then, the sinking of the vessel resulting in the loss of lives and leaving behind an environmental disaster.
There have been a few articles written since this catastrophic event that have highlighted the appalling condition of the vessel, and some have speculated about the reason why a defunct FPSO may erupt into a lethal ball of flames but, what was going on out there just weeks before unpaid workers were taken from their families?
In the early part of 2021 the FPSO TRINITY SPIRIT had on-board around 200 k bbls of crude oil (Ukopkiti). The FPSO was under the management of SEPCOL who, it is said, were insolvent.
SEPCOL had 7-10 crew members on-board who complained they had not been paid for up to 12 months and who lived in appalling conditions with little food supplies and relying on collecting rainwater for drinking. They also complained to not having basic safety wear, medical care, and were denied transport to the shore.
Then came DMWA Resources – a South Africa based trading company who had teamed up with Atlas Petroleum to be the lifter of 120k bbls of crude oil from the TRINITY SPIRIT.
On instructions from DMWA Resources work started to repair dozens of electric motors that had previously been flooded with seawater and mud. The motors were stripped, washed and reassembled by the crew on-board. Non were certified as safe following the repairs. The huge boilers, that would provide steam to drive the crude oil export pumps, were patched up, tested, and patched up again – dozens of times – and each time they were put to use more leaks occurred.
The on-board generator failed each time it was run with anything above domestic lighting needs. Then a replacement generator was brought alongside, on a barge, and cables rigged up to the TRINITY SPIRIT’s electrical system. This was soon abandoned due to heavy sea swells causing the barge (and generator) to breakaway.
Finally, a jack-up barge was used to transport a replacement generator that was placed on the fragile and creaking deck of the FPSO.
On 18 July 2022 the MT CHEM ALYA started to receive crude oil cargo from TRINITY SPIRIT and cargo transfer operations were completed on 28 July 2022. One hundred and seventeen thousand barrels (117 k bbls) was received by MT CHEM ALYA and the vessel sailed that day.
Any one of these events or conditions could have increased the risk of an explosion on-board TRINITY SPIRIT. Possibly only those that can no longer speak know the truth!
However, it is clear that zero safety compliance or measures were deployed onboard before and during off-take of the crude oil.
Furthermore, the process of transporting contractor personnel to the FPSO was a deadly trip being made in wooden/fibre boats without cover or stability for sea waves and currents.
Driven by self-interests the off lifters have left behind a trail of destroyed lives, debt, and pollution.
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