Explosion Kills Three on Board Petrobras FPSO
FPSO Cidade de São Mateus Three offshore workers have died in an explosion that occurred on board the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit Cidade de São Mateus on Wednesday, February 11th, operator of the vessel BW Offshore said.
“Based on information we have at present, three fatalities have been confirmed. Ten others sustained injuries,” BW Offwhore said in a statement.
According to Petrobras, there were 74 workers on board when the blast occurred. The injured workers have been transferred by helicopter to receive medical care in the city of Vitória, Petrobras said, adding that six people are still missing.
“BW Offshore is providing all the necessary assistance to its employees and family members with Petrobras support. The accident was controlled by the immediate deployment of the Contingency Plan, mobilizing all the necessary recourses,” Petrobras added.
Petrobras said that it has notified the Brazilian Navy as well as ANP (Brazil’s national petroleum, natural gas and biofuels agency) of the incident.
Brazilian oil regulator ANP said that the explosion was caused by a gas leak in one of the machinery spaces. The fire caused by the blast has been contained and the platform is under control, ANP said. No oil leak was reported.
The agency added that it had sent two teams on board the FPSO to supervise the investigation into the blast.
The FPSO, chartered by Brazil’s Petrobras, is operating on the Camarupim and Camarupim Norte fields in Espirito Santo littoral approximately 120 km from the coast.
The unit has been operating since June 2009.
The Brazilian oil major said that the production has been stopped and the unit has been shut down. Production at the platform was around 2.2 million cubic meters of natural gas per day.
The Camarupim concession is operated by Petrobras (100%), and the Camarupim Norte concession is a partnership between Petrobras (75%) and Ouro Preto Energia (25%).
World Maritime News Staff
