The House of Representatives has urged the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to probe the cause of the recent oil vessel explosion in Delta.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Julius Pondi (PDP-Delta) at Wednesday’s plenary in in Abuja.
Presenting the motion, Pondi said that the probe was to unearth the remote and immediate causes of the explosion to prevent a recurrence in future.
He said that the incident raised fears that some crew members of the vessel may have died at the inferno resulting after the explosion.
“The Trinity Spirit Vessel was the main production facility for the OML 108 in Nigeria’s offshore Ukpokiti oil field in Niger Delta.
“The vessel has the capacity to process up to 22,000 barrels of crude oil per day with a storage capacity of 2 million barrels.
“The explosion of the vessel, which had 50,000 barrels of oil in storage has negatively impacted the country’s economy, and may take a long time to recover,” he said.
He said that the explosion must have impacted negatively on the immediate and surrounding coastal communities.
This according to him, include pollution of the waters, death of aquatic animals, and the dispersal of surviving fish, with its attendant economic hardship on the people who are predominantly seafood farmers.
He lauded the Chevron team operating in the Escravos Estuary, for its prompt response on the incident.
The House thereafter, mandated its Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) to conduct on-the-spot assessment of the area, towards averting a recurrence.