Ship Explosion Near Bintulu Oil Platform Results in Two Fatalities

A tragic explosion occurred on the 2nd of August involving a ship near an oil platform in Bintulu, leading to the deaths of two workers and injuring another.

Bintulu police chief Superintendent Nixon Joshua Ali stated that the police were alerted to the incident around 2 a.m. this morning. The explosion happened in the engine room of a ship positioned near the oil platform.

“Initial investigation revealed that around 10.40pm on Aug 2, a total of 16 crew members working for an oil and gas company were startled by a loud explosion from somewhere below the ship’s deck,” he said. “They went down to investigate, and saw smoke billowing out of the engine room with the main door blown off its hinges due to the force of the explosion.”

The crew members promptly commenced a search and rescue operation. Nixon confirmed that no criminal activity was involved, classifying the incident as a sudden death case.

A representative from the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) Operations Centre reported that three Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) personnel from the Bintulu Bomba station were dispatched to the Bintulu Port jetty. They were there to assist Ministry of Health (MOH) staff from Bintulu Hospital with the three victims who had been brought to the jetty.

The EMRS team was placed on standby at the site to potentially transport the victims to the hospital, MOH personnel at the scene confirmed the deaths of two victims, while the third was transported to Bintulu Hospital by an MOH ambulance.

Image credit: Fire and Rescue Dept