One live lost , three missing as oil rig collapses in Delta state

One person has been confirmed dead, while three others have been declared missing following the collapse of a majestic rig in Delta State on Tuesday, August 15.

The swamp drilling rig, operated by a Nigerian oil firm, Depthwize and contracted by the Seplat/Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited joint venture, collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday.

The rig was reportedly in transit to its planned drilling location at Ovhor in Delta State when it collapsed. Seplat Energy Plc confirmed the incident on Tuesday evening, adding that 92 of the 96-member crew were accounted for and safe. The companys Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Roger Brown said in a statement;

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.