Admarine 12
On July 1, the 33 meter long jack-up rig barge Admarine 12 (IMO: 8755778) capsized in the Gulf of Suez some 130 nautical miles south of the Suez Canal. The Admarine 12 was being towed by three offshore tugs to a new drilling site in the Gabal El-Zeit area when barge the barge to lost stability. With no way to correct the weight imbalance, the barge quickly rolled over in minutes sending all the people on board into the water.
A distress call was sent out by the tugs with rescue services arriving from Gabal El-Zeit. The rescuers were able to locate 23 survivors from the sea. Many had suffered various injuries from the incident that required medical treatment. Four bodies were also recovered by their effort. However, three additional people were still listed as missing. The Egyptian Navy would later join the search and rescue efforts looking for the missing.
There is some speculation to the cause of the leg failures and capsizing. Local news reports there was a technical malfunction that caused the imbalanced. Others have pointed to the age of the Admarine 12 stating the barge may have suffered structural failure due to its prolonged use. The Admarine 12 had been built in 1966 and lacked the structural analysis and engineering that modern jack-up platforms undergo today. Authorities and the barge owner Osoco have stated if the Admarine 12 will be salvaged or be scrapped. The incident is under investigation by Egyptian authorities.
