Unconfirmed reports and pictures have emerged of a disaster involving two oil rigs collapsing and sinking off the coast of Saudi Arabia with the loss of three lives.
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Industry sources say the accident, which has not appeared in any media to date, has sunk two facilities, killed three people and left wellheads leaking oil, gas and hydrogen sulphide with operator Saudi Aramco at a loss to repair the situation.
Dates on pictures allegedly taken at the scene of the incident are dated on the last days of September and sources in the safety and crisis management sector say Saudi Aramco has successfully thrown a media blanket over the incident to date.
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A jack up rig - the Arabdrill-19 - and production structure are believed to be involved. The jackup rig was working beside one of the offshore facilities Aramco took over after the Japanese left the country, when it collapsed onto the platform, killing the three workers.
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It is thought that the production facility then toppled, sinking and damaging the wellheads.
The field is located in the Neutral Zone between Saudi and Kuwait, near the port of Khafji.
Details are scant at this stage as sources say Aramco tries to figure out how to salvage the platform.
Saudi Aramco had not responded to enquiries by EnergyReview.net at press time.
