27 Mar African Energy Chamber to visit Perenco after tragic fire

An offshore worker continues to remain missing after a fatal fire on a Perenco oil platform which left five people dead.

The fire occurred last Wednesday on the Becuna rig operated by Perenco Oil & Gas.

Gabon’s Prime Minister and Minister for Petroleum travelled to Port-Gentil on Saturday for a memorial service to honour the victims.

In a statement, Gabon’s Ministry of Petroleum and Gas said that investigations have been undergone and that: The results of these investigations should enable appropriate measures to be taken to avoid similar setbacks in the future.”

Officials from the African Energy Chamber (AEC) will also visit Gabon to “stand in solidarity with the families who have tragically lost their loved ones”.

The AEC said in a statement: “It is imperative that every effort is made to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.

“The Chamber will continue to work with the independent oil and gas company to advance worker safety and the maximization of Africa’s vast hydrocarbon resources to drive the growth of the Gabonese and African economies.”

AEC executive chairman NJ Ayuk said the chamber “mourns the loss of this tragic accident”.

Ayuk said: “Perenco and the oil industry in Gabon have relatively low injury rates.

“We will continue to work with Perenco and Gabon to improve the working standards to ensure this does not happen again.”

In a statement issued last Thursday, Perenco said: “We deeply regret to confirm that there have been five fatalities and one person is still missing.

“Our thoughts are with the bereaved families and we are focused on supporting them at this time.

“Emergency teams continue to be deployed on site and to search for the missing person.”