An offshore maintenance platform belonging to Saudi Aramco sank on December 27th, leaving three Saudi Aramco workers dead, according to a statement by Saudi Aramco.
“On Saturday morning, December 28, 2013, Saudi Aramco emergency response teams recovered the bodies of three contractor who drowned when the barge they were working on, the Arabia-4, sank in the Safaniya Offshore,” read the statement.Â
According to the report, 24 crewmembers that were on board were saved, but some suffered injuries. The platform sank as it was carrying out maintenance work at an oil well in Safaniya, the world’s largest offshore oilfield. A statement from the oil giant said a thorough investigation into the incident would take place, adding that the company’s operations were not affected by the incident.
“The barge had 27 workers on board, and 24 were successfully evacuated thanks to the timely response of Saudi Aramco specialised teams, who efficiently implemented the company response plans and managed to minimise the impact of the incident. A limited number of the barge crew sustained injuries and were immediately given the necessary medical care. The condition of all injured persons is stable, and a specialized team is investigating the incident,” said Saudi Aramco’s statement.
A local coast guard spokesperson said that his force was alerted to the incident around 19 nautical miles off Ras Al Khafji port.
“The Saudi Aramco-owned barge sank while it was performing maintenance work in the area. Response teams were immediately mobilised to the incident scene supported by helicopters, as well as specialised diving and medical evacuation teams. Rescue efforts continued until the entire crew had been accounted for, with the bodies of the three deceased recovered and handed over to the concerned authorities. Saudi Aramco management expressed their regret for this tragic loss of life, and extended their sympathy and condolences to the relatives of the deceased,” read the statement from Saudi Aramco.
Discovered in 1951, the Safaniya field has a production capability of more than 1.2 million barrels per day. The company said Friday’s incident would not affect overall production at the field.
