A jack-up barge owned and operated by Gulf Drilling International (GIS) was badly damaged this week after it collapsed offshore Qatar at the Maersk Oil-operated Al Shaheen field in the Persian Gulf.

Newbuild rig collapses at Maersk oil-operated field off Qatar

Image: aftenbladet.no

Gulf International Services, which is a subsidiary of Gulf International Services and the largest oilfield service company in Qatar said on Tuesday that the accident occurred on July 5th and involved its 2014-delivered jack-up barge Rumailah.

Photo images released by a Norwegian news media show the rig partially submerged in water with several lifeboats surrounding the platform. The accident has been described as “punch-through incident”, which left the rig tilting to one side and partially submerged.

The personnel working onboard the Rumailah oil rig have left the platform, embarking in lifeboats. There were no reports for injured people during the incident.

Image: aftenbladet.no

In an official statement, the Denmark’s company confirmed the incident and informed that:

“All personnel are safe and accounted for and no damage to Al Shaheen facilities has been reported.”

Representatives of Doha-based Gulf International Services informed that the rig had been taken to the local Nakilat yard for repairs, which are estimated to take several months.

Image: aftenbladet.no

According to Norwegian publication Stavanger Aftenblad, the liftboat unit with jack-up legs that is used as a support vessel had recently undergone repairs, including an overhaul of its jack-up system after one of its legs failed to elevate. This unit is working under a three-year contract with Maersk that expires in the middle of 2017.

Since 1992, Danish Maersk Oil has been operator of the Al Shaheen field.

In May this year, the state-owned Qatar Petroleum invited international oil companies to compete for the operation and development of the field beyond mid-2017, when Maersk Oil’s current 25-year production sharing agreement with Qatar Petroleum ends.

The oilfield is located approximately 50 miles off Qatar’s coast and currently produces around 300,000 barrels per day, approximately 40% of Qatar’s daily oil production.