Brazil FPSO explosion: Four Brazilians still missing

BW Offshore, the owner of the FPSO that exploded this week in Brazil, has confirmed that the bodies of the five workers killed in the accident have been brought to shore. Four are Brazilian nationals and one is Indian.

The Norwegian company has said that arrangements are being made for formal identification and release to family. Four Brazilian workers remain unaccounted for.

The company has said that the FPSO hull is confirmed to be intact. A specialist team has returned to the unit to evaluate if conditions are sufficiently safe to allow the search and rescue efforts to continue.

“This is a terrible day for the families of the men we have lost and our hearts go out to them. We remain determined to continue the search for those still missing”, said Carl Arnet, BW Offshore CEO.

The explosion hit the Cidade de São Mateus FPSO on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at 12:50 local Brazilian time. The unit is operated for Petrobras by BW Offshore on the Camarupim and Camarupim Norte fields in Espirito Santo littoral approximately 120 km from the coast.

There were 74 crew members on board at the time of the blast. Five died, and four are missing. According to sources in Brazil, the total number of injured in the accident is 26.

In an e-mail sent to Offshore Energy Today, a BW Offshore spokesperson said: “Seven personnel with injuries are receiving medical care in hospital. The cause of the explosion has not been identified.”

Production at the FPSO has been stopped and the unit has been shut down.

Offshore Energy Today Staff