NIMASA begins investigation on cause of fire at wellhead offshore in Ondo

… warns mariners to avoid impacted area

Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said on Thursday in Lagos that it had sent a fact finding team to unravel the circumstances surrounding a recent fire incident at a wellhead offshore in Ondo State. The incident, which involved a barge belonging to Michharry and Company Nigeria Limited, an offshore and onshore facilities provider for the oil and gas industry, occurred at the site of a Chevron platform sold to local investors. A statement by Philip Kyanet, head, corporate communications of NIMASA, states that the officers from the Maritime Safety and Seafarers Standard Department (MSSSD) and Marine Environment Management (MEM) Department of the Agency would conduct both on the spot assessment and detailed analysis of the incident. According to Kyanet, NIMASA also advises mariners and other maritime stakeholders to steer clear of the areas affected by the fire for their own safety and to aid the investigative and remediation work at the location, Ororo1, in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 95. “Preliminary investigation revealed that the barge, JUV Bellaton, a 300 Series SEWOP, owned by Michharry and operated by Guarantee Petroleum, had been working on the offshore oil rig, Grace 1 HWU, when it experienced leakages of gas and oil, which led to a fire outbreak at the wellhead location. Though, there was no reported pollution following degenerative status of the platform due to the fire,” Kyanet states. He further states that all crew were evacuated safely, and fire fighters were engaged by the company to try to put out the fire. He further states that NIMASA is working with the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) on the incident investigation, in line with an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two agencies.