SEPCOl Explosion: Stakeholders Raise Concern on Environmental Disasters

Amidst fears of high fatalities following the explosion of a  vessel with a storage capacity of two million barrels off the coast of southern Nigeria’s Delta state, some stakeholders have raised concern that the incident was capable of causing environmental disasters.
Chairman of Nigerian Environmental Society (NES), Dr. Kingsley Nwogbidi, in a chat with The Tide, worried that with the storage capacity of the said vessel, a huge amount of oil would be spilled into the sea, he fear would find its way to nearby shores.
Nwogbidi noted that the explosion and incident fire were capable of causing huge contaminations and degradation of both aquatic and terrestrial life.
He expressed the hope that adequate punitive measures would be taken by relevant regulatory authorities to ensure the safety of life and the environment
On his part, an environmental activist, Mr. Mike Karikpo, of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, while expressing concern, over the potential negative environmental impact, noted that there would definitely be dire consequences given the magnitude of explosion and the size of the vessel involved adding the oil will reach the surrounding communities.
Karikpo appealed that necessary measures be taken to safeguard lives and the environment.
It would be recalled that a vessel belonging to Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL), Trinity Spirit, had last Thursday been engulfed in flames following a blast a day earlier.
A joint investigation by relevant regulatory bodies are under way to determine the cause of the accident.