14 Injured in Explosion Aboard Pipelay Vessel

14 crewmembers were left injured Wednesday after an explosion aboard the pipelay barge Israfil Huseynov in the Caspian Sea, according to operator Saipem. 

As workers were conducting maintenance on shipboard equipment on Wednesday evening, an explosion occurred. According to Azerbaijan's General Prosecutor's Office, a technical malfunction in equipment on the ship's production line was linked to the casualty. 

In the early hours of Thursday morning, 14 Saipem employees were medevaced to a hospital, including seven who are in intensive care. Three of these patients are in critical condition, according to the health ministry of Azerbaijan. 

Those who suffered less serious injuries are set to be repatriated. The victims are of Italian, English, Azerbaijani, Romanian, Malaysian and Croatian nationality, Saipem said. 

The Huseynov is assigned to BP's Shah Deniz 2 project in the Caspian, according to Saipem. The expansion project is a large-scale development that will add about 16 billion cubic meters per year of gas production to the Shah Deniz Stage 1, more than doubling its current output.