Worker Dies After Losing Consciousness On Board Jurong Jackup

A worker has died in hospital after losing consciousness on board the jackup - the Noble Regina Allen (400' ILC) - that tilted suddenly last month and caused eighty-nine injuries.

The dead man was an employee of Belfor Asia, a disaster recovery and property restoration company that has been hired by Jurong Shipyard - a wholly owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine - to perform recovery (protection) work on the rig.

Giving its account of events, Sembcorp Marine said in a statement, after the close of the trading day Monday, that the deceased and two other colleagues were all in full safety harness when performing recovery on the floor in the utilities room.

"The deceased was noticed unconscious by his fellow colleagues who alerted the shipyard's safety personnel. He was immediately taken to the National University Hospital by an ambulance and he passed away at the hospital in the evening," Sembcorp Marine said in its disclosure.

"The cause of his death has been certified as coronary occlusion and coronary atherosclerosis. The shipyard is presently assisting the relevant authorities in their investigations," Sembcorp Marine added.

The first accident – described as one of Singapore's worst industrial accidents – occurred on the rig Dec. 3, 2012, when a brake failure caused it to tilt at ten degrees. About 980 people were on board then and there were no fatalities. Workers subsequently interviewed by local media said that apart from the gangway, some made their way to shore by the sea with the guidance of safety officers who led them down the hull-side scaffolding, which was less than a meter to the water. 

Sembcorp Marine confirmed that no construction work was carried out on the rig since Dec. 3, except recovery work performed by SMIT Salvage and Belfor which was done in sequential stages to bring the rig to an upright position.

The Noble Regina Allen is one of two turnkey contracts – worth some $400 million – which Sembcorp Marine won from Noble Corporation on Dec.22, 2010. The rigs, one scheduled for delivery in 4Q 2012 and the other in 1Q 2013, are built based on the upgraded F&G JU2000E design to be named F&G JU3000N.