A vessel belonging to a yet-to-be identified oil and gas company, located in Escravos, Warri South-West council area of Delta state, has been engulfed in flames.
A video portraying the raging inferno on the vessel which is situated just outside the Escravos Bar of the Atlantic, surfaced online, since Saturday.
It is not clear if workers were onboard the vessel when the fire started.
According to feelers, the barge is a jack-up vessel which belongs to an indigenous contractor.
A source claims that the vessel is owned by Michharry and Company Nigeria Limited, an offshore and onshore oil and gas facilities provider.
When reached on its contact phone number which was obtained from a ‘business list’ website, the company refused to speak on the development.
The cause of the inferno, exact time it started and the level of damage, including loss of lives, that may have occurred are yet to be ascertained.
Meanwhile the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), says it is investigating the incident, when contacted on Sunday.
The Warri Zonal Controller, Engr. Antai Asuquo, who spoke to The Nation via telephone, said with the COVID-19 lockdown, the agency is having constraints in accessing the location.
He emphasized that the barge is not owned by Chevron Nigeria Limited, as their findings has so far, revealed.
The Zonal Controller said “As it is, we can’t really say anything until we conclude our investigation. By Tuesday or Wednesday, we should be able to get the full details of what happened there”.
Asked if the fire is still on, Asuquo stated, “honestly, I don’t know. All I have gotten is what people are saying. We are liaising with our head office to know who owns the barge and to team up.
We are trying to even get a helicopter to fly over it to know exactly what the situation is. When we get the full details, we could talk with you thereafter”.