Commission investigates reasons of accident in Caspian Sea

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The search for oilmen, who went missing as a result of the accident at the oil-gathering station in the Caspian Sea, continues, said Khoshbakht Yusifzade, First Vice President of Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR.

Yusifzade, talking to reporters on December 20 in Baku, noted that the search work has not yielded any results so far. “We hope that the missing oilmen will be found in the coming days,” he added.

He mentioned that the commission, created to investigate the accident’s reasons, continues its work and the public will be informed about the results.

A 150-meter high part of the pier on the right and left sides of the oil gathering station of the No 3 oil and gas production department of  Azneft PU collapsed caused by the wind at a speed of 41m/s in the Caspian sea at about 5.00 in the morning on December 15. The ground as well as the lodge attached to the pier also collapsed.

Ten workers of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan have gone missing. The body of one worker, Ilham Gafarov was found at about 14:00 (UTC/GMT+4) on December 15.

President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on December 16 with the aim of speeding up search and rescue efforts in the Caspian Sea.

The Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to provide financial and other necessary assistance for the families of those, who died in the incident. SOCAR was instructed to determine serviceability of the oil gathering station of the No 3 oil and gas production department of SOCAR’s AzNeft Production Union and estimate damage caused to the facility. The President also instructed the SOCAR to review security at all its facilities and installations.

Under the Order, the Prosecutor General`s Office must launch an immediate investigation into the cause of the incident.