Italian oil company Eni has informed that on Thursday, December 1, 2016, a fire occurred on the Foukanda platform, located offshore the Republic of Congo, causing a death of one person.
According to Eni, the platform was immediately evacuated and the fire was extinguished by the emergency teams, bringing the situation under control in a short time.
Of the 45 persons on the platform, 5 reported slight burns, while one person, a crane operator belonging to Afrimel, was missing at the time of the evacuation.
As soon as the fire was extinguished, Eni said the emergency team managed to get on board and found the missing person, but had to report his death.
Eni added that investigations to ascertain the causes of the fire are ongoing and further information will be provided as soon as available.
Eni’s activities in Congo are focused on the exploration & production sector in conventional and deep offshore and onshore areas of Congo. The Italian company has 58% interest in its operated Foukanda area.
Foukanda development area, together with Djambala and Mwafi, was carved out of the former Marine VI exploration license.