Perenco rig fire leaves 3 men with burns

A fire which broke out on a rig on Tuesday afternoon has left three men nursing burns.

The incident happened at about 3.50 pm on the Teak AD platform when mechanics were doing maintenance work on a gas compressor.

Perenco, the company, said the men were immediately attended to and airlifted to a medical facility where two of them remain in stable condition. The third man was treated and discharged.

The company said the blaze was quickly put out, the emergency response procedures activated and the platforms were shut in.

It added there was no damage to the environment as there was no discharge of hydrocarbons as a result of the incident.

The men, one of whom is said to be a Venezuelan, work with Sookhai Diesel – the contractor on the platform. Its director Richie Sookhai also confirmed the incident and said the men were safe and being taken care of.

But one employee, who wished not be named, said it was not the first fire that had happened on Perenco platforms in which people were injured.

“Just three weeks ago there was a fire. Luckily, no one was hurt.

“So much is happening there. The platforms are short-staffed and are basically running with a skeletal crew.”

When Newsday asked Perenco about those claims, the company’s external relations and communications manager, Heidi Diquez, said the matter was under investigation.

She added that Perenco, together with the contracting company, was in contact with the families and was providing all necessary support.

In October last year, medical officer Anthony Christopher was found dead on another Perenco platform and the company said they would not comment further on it as it was not work-related.

Christopher’s relatives condemned the company for their handling of the incident.

Perenco is a European oil and gas company that manages the Teak, Samaan and Poui fields located 20 km to 45 km from the southeast coast of Trinidad in deep water at 55 metres.