Crew Saved from Fire on FSO in Nigeria

A fire on a floating storage unit owned by the Nigerian domestic oil company Brittania-U resulted in all 19 crewmembers being rescued safely, according to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency. The 4,000 barrel-per-day capacity FSO was nearly 30 years old and had been operating in the Nigerian Delta State region since 2017. The fire broke out on July 18, prompting a response from the Nigerian Navy ship NNS Delta, which rescued crewmembers from the engulfed platform.

Videos online show the crewmembers being rescued and transferred to shore by the Nigeria Navy vessel. The field, which has been producing oil since 2010, was part of a government initiative 20 years ago to lease smaller sites to Nigerian companies. Brittania-U has a contract with Chevron to sell its oil and uses shuttle barges to transfer oil from the FSO to export terminals. An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the fire.

Brittania-U released a statement expressing gratitude to the Navy, Shell, and others for their assistance in bringing the fire under control. The incident highlights the dangers faced by workers in the oil industry, particularly in regions like the Nigerian Delta State, a hub of the country’s oil operations.

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