A DE@DLY fire exploded at the Cawthorne channel facility, causing massive oil spills into the surrounding waters of the Rivers State Bonny local government area.
The fire began on Wednesday evening, February 19 and continued until the early morning of today on February 20.
Search and rescue operations are being carried out for missing crew members, while the community is waiting for compensation for environmental damage and relief materials to mitigate the impact of the disaster.
Daniel Pollyn’s community leader in the Cawthorne channel area confirmed that the affected facilities belong to the NNPCL. He revealed that the fire broke out on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, swept away two rovers near Degema LGA in Rivers State.
“We are not able to determine the number of casualties at the moment. But, as I said, all the crew members on the affected ship are still looking for,” Polling said.
He also revealed that community representatives and NNPCL officials have been involved in the matter through the Zoom meeting and are looking forward to addressing key issues on Monday.
“Yes, they are meeting us via Zoom. After JIV, maybe before Monday or before, there will be further process.” He assured.
The explosion has raised concerns about compliance with security protocols and global best practices in management of the Niger Delta.
Watch the video of the scene below.
Since the oil field OML 18
The first channel of Cawthorne channel is on fire🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 It has been since @ 3p.m. Until the moment
Good morning, always think of what might be wrong, do the right thing *** follow the procedures, guide, life is not repeated. pic.twitter.com/dpbk6up8xu– Campglory Chineseu (@C_CampGlory) February 20, 2025
