Seplat swamp drilling rig capsizes off Ovhor, Delta State; one dead, two missing
Seplat depth-wise swamp drilling rig capsizes off Ovhor, Delta State; one dead, two missing
Oredola Adeola
In the early hours of Tuesday, August 15, 2023, one person died, two missing and about 92 have survived after a depth-wise swamp drilling rig “Majestic” operated by Seplat, a leading indigenous Nigerian oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) company, capsized in Delta State.
This was contained in a statement EnergyDay obtained on Tuesday from Seplat via its official twitter page.
According to the report, the incident on the Depthwise swamp drilling rig “Majestic” operated by Seplat capsized, while in transit to its planned drilling location at Ovhor in Delta State.
EnergyDay gathered that the company, as the operator of the SEPLAT/NNPCL joint venture, contracted the rig which later capsized.
It said, “92 of the 96-member crew are accounted for and safe. However, tragically one fatality occurred during the incident, while three other rigs 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 member who is still missing at the time of this report.
Seplat noted that its emergency response and rescue efforts working alongside the right owner and the authorities have been activated and are onsite.
The leading E&P company in Nigeria, therefore, emphasised that the utmost priority will continue to be the safety and well-being of all the affected personnel and their families.
Seplat has promised to provide further information as our understanding of the incident develops, adding that a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident will follow.
