Five Dead, One Missing After Fire on Perenco Platform

Five workers have died and one is still missing after an incident on Perenco’s Becuna platform off the coast of Gabon.

A fire broke out on the platform at around 3:25 pm local time on Wednesday, March 20. Following the incident, the area was immediately secured, the fire extinguished, and all personnel were relocated to safety.

Initial assessments revealed that two workers were injured and five were unaccounted for. The injured individuals were promptly transported to the mainland for treatment. The following day, the company announced that the tragedy had resulted in five fatalities and that efforts were underway to locate one individual still missing.

Perenco expressed its condolences, saying, “Our thoughts are with the bereaved families, and we are focused on supporting them at this time.”

The Simba field, a traditional shallow water oil field, has extracted 32.56% of its total recoverable reserves to date, reaching its highest production level in 2022. The field is expected to remain in operation until it hits its economic threshold in 2044, currently contributing about 4% to the nation's daily oil production.