A crude oil vessel has exploded off the coast of Nigeria with ten crew members on board.

The FPSO Trinity Spirit, with a 22,000 barrels of oil per day capacity, was situated near Warri in southern Nigeria when it burst into flames.

The vessel, which is used for production, storage and offloading, is owned by Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL), whose chief executive Ikemefuna Okafor said there were no immediate reports of fatalities.

“We can confirm that there were ten crew men on board the vessel prior to the incident and we are prioritising investigations with respect to their safety and security,” he said.

Mr Okafor also said investigations were underway to establish the cause of the explosion in the early hours of Wednesday while attempts to contain the situation were being made with help from local communities and Chevron, which has a facility nearby.

SEPCOL is in receivership, a form of bankruptcy protection.

Related posts:

Off-duty Italian police officers find stolen Roman statue in Belgium – a decade after it vanished China deploys jets and bombers into Taiwanese airspace in ‘biggest incursion to date’ Media building in Gaza collapses after Israeli airstrike as Palestinian rockets target Tel Aviv area Long working hours killing 750,000 people a year – study Ireland’s first taekwondo Olympian hospitalised after Dublin attack When I emerged into Kabul I hadn’t entered a new city, I’d gone back 20 years The West might not want to recognise the Taliban, but it mustn’t turn its back on Afghanistan Cristiano Ronaldo knocks out steward with wayward pre-match practice shot ‘Waiting for death’: Doctors work without pay and medicines dwindle, a month into Taliban rule ‘Completely free man’: OJ Simpson released from parole early for good behaviour Two children dead and others critically injured after bouncy castle blown into air Man charged over murder of Irish teacher Ashling Murphy