UPDATE: Three missing, one dies, 92 rescued as Depthwize Majestic Rig capsizes in Nigeria — NUPRC
By Eyo Nsima
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) said of the 96 personnel on board the Depthwize Majestic Rig contracted by Seplat Energy Plc to drill Ovhor-21 well at a swamp location in Delta State, 92 have been rescued, one confirmed dead and three are yet to be accounted for.
The NUPRC has the statutory responsibility of ensuring compliance with petroleum laws, regulations and guidelines in the Upstream Oil and Gas Sector.
Its responsibilities also involve monitoring operations at drilling sites, producing wells, production platforms and flow stations, crude oil export terminals, and all pipelines carrying crude oil, and natural gas, while carrying out other functions.
In a statement obtained by The Daily, www.thedaily-ng.com, the NUPRC, stated: “The Depthwize Majestic Rig was contracted by Seplat Energy Plc to drill Ovhor-21 well at a swamp location in Delta State. The rig completed the drilling of Gbetiokun-11 for NEPL and demobilized on Wednesday, 9th August 2023.
“Thereafter, the rig commenced Rig-Move from Gbetiokun-11 well location to the planned Ovhor – 21 well location. Unfortunately, the rig capsized while in transit and was partially submerged at about 5.00 am on Tuesday 15th August 2023.
“Information from our Warri Regional Office confirmed that search and rescue operations of Personnel on Board (POB) the rig have commenced and it’s ongoing. Seplat Energy has also submitted Incident Notification Form 41 to the Commission as statutorily required and commenced a preliminary and detailed investigation of the incident.
“Of the ninety-six (96) personnel on board at the time of the incident, ninety-two (92) have been rescued, one (1) confirmed dead and three (3) yet to be accounted for.
“However, Divers have been mobilized to the incident location for search and rescue operations, while the rescued personnel are currently receiving medical attention at the company’s hospital.
“The Commission will continue to update the public on the detailed outcome of the investigations as more information becomes available” reads the statement in parts.”
Earlier, Seplat Energy had disclosed that, “Seplat Energy regrets to announce a serious incident on the Depthwise swamp drilling rig “Majestic” in the early hours of this morning. Seplat as the operator of the SEPLAT/NNPCL joint venture contracted the rig. It was in transit to its planned drilling location at Ovhor in Delta State when it capsized. 92 of the 96-member crew are accounted for and safe. However, tragically one fatality occurred during the incident, while three other rig personnel are still missing.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the crew member who sadly lost his life and the three crew members who are still missing at the time of this report. Our emergency response and rescue efforts working alongside the rig owner and the authorities have been activated and are onsite. Our utmost priority will continue to be the safety and wellbeing of all the affected personnel and their families.
“We will provide further details as our understanding of the incident develops. A detailed investigation into the cause of the accident will follow.”
