An oil-drilling barge capsized Tuesday evening in Egypt's Gulf of Suez, killing at least four crew members and leaving up to six others missing as search operations continued into Wednesday morning. The Adam Marine 12, operated by the Offshore Shukheir Oil Company, overturned while being towed to a new drilling location off the coast of Ras Ghareb, authorities said.
Twenty-two people were rescued from the water and taken to local hospitals, according to Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafy. The incident underscores ongoing safety challenges in Egypt's expanding offshore oil operations as the country seeks to boost energy production.
Egyptian navy vessels joined civilian rescue teams in searching for the missing crew members through the night, with operations ongoing as of Wednesday morning12. The rescued workers suffered varying degrees of injuries including fractures and bruises, according to marine industry reports3.
Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Fouad and Minister of Labor Mohamed Gebran traveled to the accident site to oversee rescue operations and coordinate emergency response measures45. The Health Ministry confirmed that four bodies had been recovered and 22 injured crew members were being treated at hospitals4.
The Adam Marine 12 was being towed by three workboats to the Ashrafi platform when it capsized with 31 crew members and technicians aboard12. The barge was operating under a concession held by Saudi oil and gas driller ADES, which had assigned drilling operations to OSOCO3.
Local media reports suggested the vessel overturned while being repositioned for excavations in another area, though authorities said the exact cause remains under investigation4. The Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company received a distress signal shortly after the incident occurred1.
The capsizing occurred in the Gabel el-Zeit area, a prominent Egyptian oil production site located approximately 300 kilometers south of the Suez Canal12. Despite the proximity to the vital shipping lane, which handles about 10 percent of global maritime trade, authorities said the incident would not disrupt canal operations2.
Admiral Ossam Rabei, head of the Suez Canal Authority, confirmed that 33 vessels were scheduled to transit Wednesday through the waterway2. The canal's traffic has already been reduced since late 2023 due to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping in solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza conflict3.
The incident highlights Egypt's reliance on foreign operators and technology as it seeks to modernize aging offshore platforms and revive national oil output through expanded exploration agreements with UAE, Chinese, and Italian firms.
