2 days ago
Four dead, 4 missing after oil rig sinks off Red Sea Governorate coast
An oil rig sank off the coast of the Egyptian Red Sea on Tuesday night, killing four staff members who were on board. Egyptian officials are yet to comment on what caused the sinking, as of time of writing.
The ADMARINE12 oil rig, owned by Offshore Shukheir Oil Company (OSOCO), capsized in the Gabal al-Zeit area in Ras Ghareb, in the Red Sea governorate, according to government statements. The incident injured 22 out of the 30 people who were on board, while four are still missing.
A Cabinet statement Tuesday night said that the petroleum and labor ministers visited the site to investigate the situation shortly after emergency services received the distress call from the sinking rig.
Red Sea Governor Amr Hefny said that rescue teams were able to retrieve four bodies from the incident area and transfer them to Hurghada General Hospital.
The teams are still looking for four more bodies of staff who are missing, according to the governor. Of the surviving 22 who were found, rescuers transferred 18 by ambulance to Gouna Hospital in Hurghada, while the other four who had more critical injuries were transferred by plane, Hefny said.
OSOCO is one of the companies owned by the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation. It was established in 1980 , to oversee oil extraction operations on behalf of EGPC and contractors in the Shukeir Marine Area in the Gulf of Suez. The capsized rig, although owned by OSOCO, was reportedly operated by the Saudi ADES Holding Company, which won a 10-year contract to operate in OSOCO fields in 2023.
For his part, head of the Suez Canal Authority Osama Rabie stated today that ship movement in the canal was not affected by last night's incident, which occurred 130 nautical miles away from the canal's southern entrance.
