Seven workers at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation have been killed in a fire explosion at Oil mining lease 40 operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, a subsidiary of NNPC.
The explosion occurred on Tuesday at the petroleum company’s Benin River Valve Station.
The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Kennie Obateru, said the BRVS explosion happened at Gbetiokun, OML 40, operated by NPDC.
He disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja entitled “NNPC Reports Explosion at NPDC’s Benin River Valve Station.”
Obateru said, “The incident, which occurred on Tuesday during the installation of a ladder on a platform (Benin River Valve Station) for access during discharging of Gbetiokun production, unfortunately caused seven fatalities.”
The national oil firm said a detailed investigation of the cause of the explosion had commenced.
It said the Department of Petroleum Resources had been duly notified and Form 41 was being prepared for the industry regulator as required in circumstances of this nature.
The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Kennie Obateru, said the BRVS explosion happened at Gbetiokun, OML 40.
He disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja entitled “NNPC Reports Explosion at NPDC’s Benin River Valve Station,” that “the incident, which occurred on Tuesday during the installation of a ladder on a platform (Benin River Valve Station) for access during discharging of Gbetiokun production, unfortunately caused seven fatalities.”
The statement added that a detailed investigation of the cause of the explosion had commenced while the Department of Petroleum Resources had been duly notified and Form 41 was being prepared for the industry regulator as required in circumstances of this nature.
He added that investigation on the cause of the explosion had commenced, while the Department of Petroleum Resources had been duly notified and Form 41 was being prepared for the industry regulator as required in circumstances of this nature.
The bodies of those killed in the explosion have been deposited at a morgue in Sapele while their families are been notified.
He noted that all personnel on board the platform had been fully accounted for adding that the NNPC Group Managing Director, Malam Mele Kyari, had commiserated with the families of the bereaved.
JOIFF COMMENT
This report highlights the risk of doing maintenance in any live “plant” – in this case the valve station. Whether it is hot work (cutting, grinding, welding) or cold work (drilling, hammering, etc.) the lack of a comprehensive risk assessment & preparation of the work area, to avoid the combination of a mixture of fuel/gas and air within flammable range with an ignition source, are often the cause of serious incidents in high hazard facilities around the world.
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