The under-construction oil rig NOBLE REGINA ALLEN tilted over during a test Monday at a Sembcorp Marine Ltd. shipyard in Singapore, injuring 89 workers. Six people were admitted to hospitals for treatment and observation after the accident, which took place at a Jurong Shipyard Pte. yard, Singapore-based Sembcorp said in a statement. Work on the unit has been halted as the company and the Singapore Ministry of Manpower investigate. Sembcorp said in an earlier statement that 90 workers were injured and four were admitted to hospitals. The rig tipped after the jack-up mechanisms on one of its three legs failed, the ministry said, citing a preliminary review. The mechanisms raise and lower a rig’s platform. The accident could delay deliveries for Sembcorp, the world’s second-biggest builder of jack-up rigs, and cause extra costs because of the need for repairs. The rig-maker is already contending with new competition as Chinese shipbuilders try to break into the market amid slumping demand for vessels.

“The risk for Sembcorp because of this could be forced delays on projects to do safety reviews,” said Vincent Fernando, an analyst at Religare Capital Markets in Singapore. “There could also be impact on profitability due to either penalty payments for late delivery or just costs.” Shares of Sembcorp fell 2.2 percent, reversing earlier gains, in Singapore trading. That was the biggest drop since Nov. 6, the day after it reported a 48 percent decline in quarterly profit.

The Ministry of Manpower said in an earlier statement on its website that one worker was in a critical condition while another 22 were seriously injured. Sembcorp held $1.75 billion of orders for jack-up rigs, which are used in shallow waters, as of Nov. 5. That was 18 percent of its total backlog. Competition from Chinese and Korean yards for offshore projects has intensified and threatens margins, Singapore-based Keppel Corp., the world’s biggest oil-rig maker, said in October. Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings Ltd., based in Jiangyin, China, announced Monday a $170 million order for a jack-up rig, its first contract for an offshore unit. Source : Tulsaworld

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower confirmed Monday evening (local time) that all Jurong Shipyard workers have now been accounted for after a jack-up rig under construction at the yard tilted over earlier in the day.

Eighty-nine workers were hurt as a result of the accident, although the ministry reported that 77 of these have now been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for minor injuries. Of the remaining 12, six are in normal hospital wards while another six remain under observation

Speaking outside the Accident & Emergency department at Singapore General Hospital Monday evening, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Hawazi Daipi commented: “MOM takes a very serious view of the accident – this is one of the worst industrial accidents we have seen in recent times. The priority now is to look after the injured and ensure that they receive the best care possible. It is also important to stabilize the situation at the work site and investigate the accident thoroughly to find out what went wrong.”



The accident occurred Monday morning when one of the three legs of a jack-up rig failed, causing the rig to tilt to one side.

The rig was reported to be the Noble Regina Allen (400′ ILC), a jack-up being built for Swiss rig contractor Noble Corporation.

National Oilwell Varco was understood to have had 18 workers on board the rig at the time of the accident, according to reports.

The Noble Regina Allen rig was scheduled to be delivered during the first quarter of next year to begin work for Gaz de France offshore from the Netherlands. It was designed by naval architects Friede & Goldman and is the first of six jack-ups in F& G’s JU3000N class of rigs. Capable of operating in depths of up to 400 feet, it has a rated drilling depth of 35,000 feet.

Jackup Rig Accident a Reminder for Offshore Sector to Remain Vigilant

SOURCE: Rigzone

See below the Breaking News of the Accident cause:

SINGAPORE: A failed braking system on one of the movable legs of a rig at the Jurong Shipyard had caused the structure to tilt, injuring 89 workers on Monday.

Sembcorp Marine gave this update as part of its early findings of investigations into the accident at the shipyard in Tanjong Kling Road.

The company said load tests were being carried out on the partially-constructed rig from last Saturday.

Before the incident happened, the legs of the rig were lodged firmly some three metres in the seabed and were able to take on the load testing.

The load tests went on for about 1.5 days with each of the three legs of the rig bearing a load of about 9,000 tonnes.

However, on Monday morning, the jacking unit of the forward leg slipped, causing the hull and the legs to tilt forward.

Sembcorp Marine said the priority now is to stabilise the structure. It is working closely with experts to get it back in an upright position.

Meanwhile, the Manpower Ministry said that most of the workers have been discharged while three are still being warded for minor injuries.

One of the workers warded in West Point Hospital has shin injury with hairline fracture.

Of the two warded at the Singapore General Hospital, one of the workers has swelling in one ankle while the other has swelling in both ankles. They are expected to be discharged over the next few days.

Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin took a tour of the accident site at Jurong Shipyard on Tuesday to see first-hand the extent of the damage.

Mr Tan said: “The shipyard has assessed the situation and they feel the structure is stable as it is right now… they have sealed off the area so that in case anything untoward happens, there should be no cause of injuries to anyone in that area.

“So the priority right now is to take stock of how exactly you should rectify the physical situation on the ground and importantly to understand where the system did not work as it’s supposed to.”

On Monday, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) ordered all works at the affected rig to stop.

Mr Tan said Sembcorp Marine is still assessing what steps it should take next to rectify the situation.

He said the Manpower Ministry will work closely with the company.

He also said the next step is to investigate the cause of the incident and see what lessons can be learnt from it.

Investigators will look into areas such as the procedures and processes, and assess if they were effective and had been followed.

They will also find out why the braking mechanism did not work.

Mr Tan said the company has assured him that it will look after all the injured workers and take care of their medical expenses.

Sembcorp Marine said it is also focusing on helping the affected workers.

Mr Wong Weng Sun, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sembcorp Marine, said: “We have set up for them professional psychiatric services and we have also engaged the same services for group discussions and also for individual counselling for those who are still in the hospital.”

The Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Employees’ Union said it is in touch with the company and workers to see how it can assist them.

It also urged Jurong Shipyard to ensure that such an incident will not happen again.

- CNA/de