A derrick barge operated by a unit of McDermott International Inc., New Orleans, capsized and sank Aug. 15 near the mouth of China's Zhujiang River in the South China Sea, killing at least 16 of 195 persons aboard.
At presstime last week, 1 week after DB29 sank in about 21 0 ft of water, McDermott had counted 173 persons rescued. Bodies of 16 other persons had been recovered, leaving six missing and presumed dead as a result of the accident 65 miles southeast of Hong Kong.
DB29 was under tow, trying to escape the nearly 50 ft waves and 80 mph winds of Typhoon Fred when the accident occurred.
McDermott named Joe J. Stewart, executive vice-president of the power generation group in McDermott's Babcock & Wilcox Co., to head an investigating team.
"Unfortunately, key people who could best report what happened-such as the captain and senior safety officer-didn't survive," a McDermott official said.
The barge was under contract to ACT Group, a combine of Agip (Overseas) Ltd., Chevron Overseas Petroleum Inc., and Texaco Petroleum Mij. (Netherlands) BV.
Before the accident it was laying a subsea pipeline in Huizhou 26-1 oil field, expected on stream next month (see map, OGJ, Jan. 21, p. 18).
A rescue mission included the 250,000 dwt Discoverer tanker. It was serving as a floating production storage and off loading unit (FPSO) in nearby Huizhou 21-1 field and sent to the accident site to act as a landing platform for helicopter rescue teams.
Beijing's Xinhua News Agency reported the FPSO returned to its station when rescue operations were called off Aug. 17.
Meantime, Xinhua said production has resumed in Huizhou 21 1. A Texaco spokesman would not speculate on the status of getting Huizhou 26-1 on production.
George Stoddart, McDermott vice-president of corporate communications, said his company is committed to completing the Huizhou 26-1 job.
Employees from Australia, Canada, Egypt, Germany, U.K., Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand, and the U.S. were aboard DB29 when it went down. Registered in Panama, it was working out of Singapore.
Copyright 1991 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
