The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources confirmed on Tuesday that the offshore barge “Adam Marine 12,” owned by the Offshore Shukheir Oil Company ( OSOCO ), capsized earlier in the day in the Gulf of Suez.
An emergency plan
Earlier Tuesday evening, Egyptian Petroleum Ministry spokesman Moataz Atef announced that an emergency plan had been activated following the capsizing of an oil rig in the Gulf of Suez.
Barge capsized
In a post on its official Facebook account, the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum said: “We just received a report from Osoco Company stating that the Adam Marine 12 barge capsized in the Jabal al-Zeit area in the Gulf of Suez.”
Three marine units
The rig was being towed by three marine units to a new operational site at the Ashrafi platform when it capsized. There were 31 people on board, including operating crew and technicians. GUPCO’s (Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company) marine tower received a distress call about the accident.
The circular explained that: “In light of the immediate follow-up to the accident, the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and the Minister of Labor headed a team of leaders from both ministries to the accident site to assess the situation on the ground, monitor the rescue operations, and take immediate action to address the incident.”
The post concluded by saying, “The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources is monitoring the situation closely and taking the necessary measures in coordination with the relevant authorities and its affiliated companies in the region. We will keep you updated on any developments.”
It is noteworthy So far, a total of 21 crew members have been rescued, including the rig supervisor. The survivors sustained various injuries, including fractures, abrasions, and bruises.
Twenty of the rescued individuals
Twenty of the rescued individuals were transported on the marine unit “Lord G,” while the rig supervisor, who works as a “Rig Mover,” was rescued by the marine unit “Edco Rashid.” Search and rescue operations are ongoing with several marine units from GUPCO to find the remaining missing crew members.
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