The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on Tuesday said Seplat Energy Plc has formally notified it of the incident involving a drilling rig during its operation at a swamp location in Delta State.
According to a statement made available to journalists in Abuja by the management of NUPRC, out of the 96 personnel on board as the time of incident, 92 have been rescued, one confirmed dead and three are yet to be accounted for.
“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 on transit and was partially submerged at about 5.00am on Tuesday 15th August, 2023.
“Information from our Warri Regional Office confirmed that Search and rescue operations of Personnel on Board (POB) the rig has commenced and it’s on-going. Seplat Energy has also submitted Incident Notification Form 41 to the Commission as statutorily required and commenced preliminary and detailed investigation on the incident.
“Of the ninety-six (96) personnel on board as the time of 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.
