Fire on Trinidad Offshore Platform Injures Four Operators

Four operators working aboard an offshore oil platform on the east coast of Trinidad in the Caribbean sustained injuries during a small fire aboard the platform Monday night, April 10. The operator, Trinity Exploration & Production, which is focused on the areas around the island, reports that production from its East Coast field was also briefly suspended.

“Trinity can confirm that at approximately 21:15 local time on Monday, April 10, a generator-related fire occurred on Trinity’s Bravo Platform in the Trintes Field, offshore east coast Trinidad,” the company reports. They are saying that the damage was limited to the individual platform with no pollution as a result.

Four people were working on the platform, which has a daily production rate of 350 bopd, when the fire was reported. Production was stopped at the Bravo platform and as a precaution, they also halted production at the neighboring Delta and Alpha platforms in the same Trintes field. The field normally has a daily production level of approximately 1,010 bopd.

The company reports that the crew was able to quickly extinguish the fire, but during the incident, two individuals sustained minor burns. All four people that were working on the platform were treated for smoke inhalation. The platform was subsequently evacuated, and the four operators remain under medical observation.

A crew was able to board the platform on Tuesday and begin an investigation of the incident. They are reporting that the damage was limited to the generator. They believe the platform structure and other platform electrical and other equipment was in “good order.”

Production was able to resume at the two neighboring platforms, Alpha and Delta, on Tuesday evening. The company is currently optimizing the flow from those two wells. 

Repairs on the Bravo platform are anticipated to be completed in three to four days. They will then require approval from the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries before production can resume.

It is the second accident reported in recent months in the Trinidad oil field operations. A liftboat working for another company in the country’s North Field tipped over last December. There were six people aboard, but they were all able to escape before the vessel sank.