Cawthorne Fire Outbreak Contained, No Casualties – NNPCL

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) says the fire outbreak at Cawthorne Channel 1 has been contained and there are no casualties.

A late night statement by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, disclosed that the fire incident occurred at approximately 14.10 hours on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.

The statement reads in part:

“Fire Outbreak at Cawthorne Channel 1 Barges Successfully Contained”

“At approximately 14:10 hours on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, a fire broke out on the dry crude storage barge BESTAF5 at Cawthorne Channel 1, Rivers State, spreading to other barges.

Thanks to the swift response of our emergency teams and industry partners, the fire was successfully contained. The incident did not impact on flow station operations.

Soneye stated that there were casualties and all personnel working on the said barges are all safe, asserting that the NNPCL prioritizes the safety of its staff and stakeholders and fully committed to environmental protection and operational integrity.

“Most importantly, there were no casualties, and all personnel are safe.

“NNPC Ltd. prioritizes safety and remains fully committed to environmental protection and operational integrity.”

This claim appears to run contrary to its posture in other situations including the oil spill in Iloma Community where its pipeline ruptured and spilled crude oil all over the environment and several months later, no containment or remediation actions have been taken by the company.