Seplat Energy Plc’s oil drilling platform suffered a major reversal yesterday as the company’s oil drilling rig capsized near Ovhor, Delta State.
Seplat Energy is the operator of Seplat/NNPCL joint venture. The company’s production guidance for 2023 is between 45,000 and 55,000 boepd.
Chief Executive Officer, Seplat Energy Plc, Mr Roger Brown, who confirmed the incident, explained that the collapse happened as the contracted rig was in transit to its planned drilling location at Ovhor, Delta State.
“Seplat as the operator of the SEPLAT/NNPCL joint venture contracted the rig. It was in-transit to its planned drilling location at Ovhor in Delta State when it capsized,” Brown said.
He said 92 of the 96-member crew were accounted for and safe, but tragically one fatality occurred during the incident, while three other rig personnel were 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 members who are still missing at the time of this report.
“Our emergency response and rescue efforts working alongside the rig owner and the authorities have been activated and are onsite.
“Our utmost priority will continue to be the safety and wellbeing of all the affected personnel and their families.
“We will provide further details as our understanding of the incident develops. A detailed investigation into the cause of the accident will follow,” Brown said.
Seplat plans to spend between $160 million and $190 million as capital expenditures in 2023 based on outlined drilling targets.
“Our commitment to meeting the planned drilling targets remains steadfast, and we have a drilling plan in place to meet these targets in second half 2023,” Seplat had stated in its latest operational report.
On the back of the first half 2023 performance, the company had expressed confidence that it would achieve its production target in 2023, especially with” expected benefit of new well stock as it becomes available in the latter part of the year”.
The Ovhor incident represents a setback for the company, which had achieved more than 4.2 million hours without any Lost Time Injury (LTI) year-on-year on its operated assets.
In the company’s first half 2023 report, Brown had noted that the company’s safety record reflected a strong focus on safety and the dedication of its workforce to maintaining a secure work and operational environment.
In the notes to the company’s half-year 2023 financial and operational report, the company stated that in addition to its safety record, no major human injuries were reported during this period.
Seplat had noted that its group production performance has been improving in 2023, due to greater uptime on OML40 and reduced losses on its Western Asset.
The company stated that its first half accomplishment highlighted the effectiveness of the safety measures and procedures implemented.
The company stated that it has embarked on a journey to obtain ISO 45001 and 14001 certifications, which are internationally recognised standards for occupational health and safety management systems and environmental management systems.
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