الرئيسية
MOSCOW
(AP) — An oil drilling platform capsized and later sank amid fierce
storms off Russia's east coast Sunday, plunging dozens of workers into
the churning, icy waters. Four were confirmed dead and 49 were missing.
The
Transportation Ministry said the Kolskaya platform started sinking
after a strong wave broke some of its equipment and the portholes in the
crew's dining room. One 5-meter (16-foot) wave washed away the
platform's lifeboats, leaving the crew with no escape.
The
Emergencies Ministry said in a statement Sunday 67 people had been
aboard the platform as it was being towed about 200 kilometers (120
miles) off the coast of Sakhalin Island.
Fourteen people were
rescued from the sea by the ship that had been towing the platform, but
further rescue efforts were being hampered by the severe weather
conditions, officials said.
A spokeswoman for the Emergency
Ministry in the Far East, told the Associated Press that the rescue team
had spotted four lifeless bodies in the water, but had not yet been
able to retrieve them.
The Kolskaya was built in Finland in 1985
and is owned by Russian offshore exploration firm
Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka. It sank several hours after it capsized,
officials said.
There were no immediate reports of environmental
damage, and that would be unlikely since the platform was not drilling
for oil when it capsized and carried a negligible amount of fuel.
The
Investigative Committee on Sunday opened a probe into the accident and
said that it might have happened because of a breach of safety
regulations or due to the weather conditions.
As oil and gas
fields in Eastern Siberia are becoming depleted, Russian oil and gas
companies are starting to shift their focus to offshore projects,
unveiling ambitious plans to tap the riches of the Arctic.
Earlier
this year, Exxon Mobil and Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft teamed
up to jointly explore oil and gas fields in the Kara Sea with Exxon
pledging $3.2 billion of investment on only three fields.
Alexei
Knizhnikov, an energy policy official in Russia for the World Wildlife
Fund, told the RIA Novosti news agency that energy companies ought to
learn from Sunday's accident.
"This disaster should highlight the
high risks of offshore projects," he said. "It's very difficult to
conduct efficient rescue operations, whether it's rescuing people or
dealing with oil spills, in the weather conditions of the Arctic."
(AP) — An oil drilling platform capsized and later sank amid fierce
storms off Russia's east coast Sunday, plunging dozens of workers into
the churning, icy waters. Four were confirmed dead and 49 were missing.
The
Transportation Ministry said the Kolskaya platform started sinking
after a strong wave broke some of its equipment and the portholes in the
crew's dining room. One 5-meter (16-foot) wave washed away the
platform's lifeboats, leaving the crew with no escape.
The
Emergencies Ministry said in a statement Sunday 67 people had been
aboard the platform as it was being towed about 200 kilometers (120
miles) off the coast of Sakhalin Island.
Fourteen people were
rescued from the sea by the ship that had been towing the platform, but
further rescue efforts were being hampered by the severe weather
conditions, officials said.
A spokeswoman for the Emergency
Ministry in the Far East, told the Associated Press that the rescue team
had spotted four lifeless bodies in the water, but had not yet been
able to retrieve them.
The Kolskaya was built in Finland in 1985
and is owned by Russian offshore exploration firm
Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka. It sank several hours after it capsized,
officials said.
There were no immediate reports of environmental
damage, and that would be unlikely since the platform was not drilling
for oil when it capsized and carried a negligible amount of fuel.
The
Investigative Committee on Sunday opened a probe into the accident and
said that it might have happened because of a breach of safety
regulations or due to the weather conditions.
As oil and gas
fields in Eastern Siberia are becoming depleted, Russian oil and gas
companies are starting to shift their focus to offshore projects,
unveiling ambitious plans to tap the riches of the Arctic.
Earlier
this year, Exxon Mobil and Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft teamed
up to jointly explore oil and gas fields in the Kara Sea with Exxon
pledging $3.2 billion of investment on only three fields.
Alexei
Knizhnikov, an energy policy official in Russia for the World Wildlife
Fund, told the RIA Novosti news agency that energy companies ought to
learn from Sunday's accident.
"This disaster should highlight the
high risks of offshore projects," he said. "It's very difficult to
conduct efficient rescue operations, whether it's rescuing people or
dealing with oil spills, in the weather conditions of the Arctic."