Saipem Rig Sinks Offshore Angola. One Person Missing

Chevron, a US-based oil and gas exploration and production company, announced today that an incident occurred on board an offshore drilling rig in Angola on July 1, 2013 at approximately 8:30 pm.

In an e-mail sent to Offshore Energy Today, the oil company said it had been informed by its Angolan subsidiary, Cabinda Gulf Oil Company (CABGOC) that a crew of 102 was safely evacuated from the Saipem-owned rig.

Chevron also added that one person remains missing and that search and rescue operations were underway.

Related:Chevron Charters Saipem’s Jack-up for Drilling Offshore Angola

“Chevron’s subsidiary worked closely with Saipem in mobilizing resources to respond to the incident and notifying appropriate stakeholders, including the Governments of Angola and of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Angolan national oil company, and partners,” said Chevron in the e-mail.

Rig capsizes and sinks

The news has also been confirmed by the rig’s owner, Saipem, which said that the Perro Negro 6 was the rig involved in the incident.

The Italian oilfield services provider said that one of the jack-up rig’s three legs collapsed, causing the rig to suddenly tilt and start taking water. The incident, according to Saipem, occurred during the rig positioning on location between the coasts of Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, in approximately 40 meters of water. 6 crew members have sustained minor injuries. At approximately 10:30 am CET, the rig, with no personnel on board, capsized and sank.