Military Confirms Fire Incident At Conoil Fields In Bayelsa

The Joint military force deployed to protect oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta has confirmed a fire incident at an oilfield operated by Conoil in Koluama Southern Ijaw Local Government in Bayelsa.

The fire which started on Saturday morning engulfed an oil rig owned by Depthwize Nigeria an oil services firm working at the oil block operated by Conoil. The rig is located within Nigerian territorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean off Koluama community in Southern Ijaw area of Bayelsa.

Maj. Abdullhi Ibrahim, Spokesman for the joint military force christened Operation Delta Safe who confirmed the incident  on Saturday said that all personnel on board the rig were successfully evacuated. He said that the fire incident was already under control due to the efforts of fire fighters adding that no life was lost.

Although that the number of personnel onboard the ill fated vessel named MV Majestic could not be ascertained, it was gathered that the  232 feet rig had capacity to accommodate 120 men on board.

Also Mr George Ibobra, a community leader in Koluama confirmed the incident and said that the people were grateful that no human life was lost in the inferno.

It will be recalled that the youths of Akassa, in Sanganna area of Bayelsa, had put out a fire which occurred on Conoil offshore platform near Brass LGA, Bayelsa on Sept. 29, 2017.

Also in 2012 , an explosion of a  rig K.S Endeavour at an oilfield  operated by Chevron occurred near the North Apoi in koluama.