Breaking News: 2 Major Incidents Underway as Platform Collapses and another Catches Fire Offshore Azerbaijan

Published in Oil Industry News on Friday, 4 December 2015

Oil and Gas People has learned off two major incidents ongoing offshore Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea.
The first seen the collapse of an accommodation module on a Platform in the Oil Rocks. The incident happened earlier this morning and 3 people are still reported missing. It is thought the platform was being battered by high winds and waves of over 8m at the time. The platform is owned by the state oil company of Azerbaijan.
The second serious incident on another state oil company platform is approx 30km away and is still developing. It is believed the whole platform is now on fire and evacuation is proving difficult due to severe weather conditions.
Oil and Gas People readers who are working on adjacent platforms have been in touch and information from the field is that the fire was caused by a damaged gas riser. The platform was evacuated using small 10 man lifeboats. Latest information from the field is that 63 people were onboard and so far 42 have been confirmed rescued. It has been reported that strong winds are preventing the lifeboats getting away from the platform.
2 firefighting boats have been mobilised and a diving vessel is also involved in the rescue operation. The incident has been ongoing since 18:00 local time.
6 BP Platforms are in close vicinity but are not thought to be affected.