The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (Nimasa) has reported that all 19 crew members have been safely rescued from the offshore drilling platform that caught fire on Thursday.
Nimasa said in a statement that the agency had received signals from the Regional Maritime Rescue Coordinating Center in Lagos, that Britania U, a drilling platform, was under distress at Ajakpa Field (OML 90), 10.77 nautical miles south of Forcadoes Terminal in Delta State, Nigeria.
A Nigerian navy ship, NNS Delta, was sent to the scene where it found the platform on fire and the crew calling for assistance. Some crew members had already jumped into the water to escape the blaze and the ship’s crew pulled them aboard in a dramatic rescue that was captured on video and shared on YouTube.
“All 19 crew members onboard the ill-fated Britania U drilling platform were successfully rescued from the vessel,” Nimasa said.
The agency said it had collaborated with first responders to ensure the safe rescue and evacuation of the crew, and other exposed persons, from the floating storage unit (FSU) during the incident. The unit, which is reportedly almost 30 years old, is employed by domestic oil company, Brittania-U.
Nimasa said its director general, Dayo Mobereola, had also set up an incident command centre in the office of the agency’s executive director operations, to prepare an effective situation-based response plan against oil spillage or other incidents affecting the marine environment and safety of navigation.
“In line with its mandate under the Merchant Shipping Act 2007, the Agency’s Marine Accident Investigation Unit has launched an investigation into the direct and remote causes of this unfortunate mishap. The outcome of the investigation will be published and recommendations arising therefrom implemented,” Nimasa said.
Brittania-U chairman and CEO Uju Ifejika said in a statement that the fire had been extinguished and thanked Nimasa, the Nigerian Navy, Shell and other organisations for their support during the fire.
“The company has commenced a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the fire incident and will share further updates with the public as soon as possible,” Ifejika said.
Brittania-U sells its oil to Chevron which transports the product in shuttle barges from the FSU to the export terminal.
