Quick summary: A catastrophic industrial accident involving an apparent mechanical failure during offshore lifeboat maintenance has claimed the lives of three contractors and left a fourth critically injured off the coast of Terengganu. Emergency rescue teams extracted the personnel from the water before utilizing an airlift evacuation to transport the casualties to hospital, prompting police to launch a sudden death investigation alongside state energy officials. These tragic findings carry profound relevance for public policy and healthcare practice, underscoring the urgent necessity for stringent corporate enforcement of maritime engineering protocols to protect offshore workers and prevent the devastating psychological trauma inflicted on surviving families.
Three contractor personnel died and one was seriously injured in a fatal accident during lifeboat maintenance work on a Petronas-operated floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel off the coast of Terengganu on Sunday.
The incident occurred at around 12:50pm at the FSO Sepat platform, located off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Malaysian state energy firm Petronas, or Petroliam Nasional Berhad, confirmed the details in a statement issued on Monday.
According to Malaysia’s state news agency Bernama and local police, the workers had boarded a lifeboat on the FSO platform to lower themselves into the sea to carry out maintenance work. The rope or hook linked to the lifeboat is believed to have detached, causing the victims to fall into the sea.
Rescue teams were quickly deployed and managed to retrieve all four personnel from the water before bringing them back onto the platform. The victims were airlifted by helicopter to Sultan Mahmud Airport at about 4pm and rushed to hospital. Three workers were pronounced dead on arrival, while the fourth remains under observation.
The deceased were identified as Ahmad Fiqri Zakaria, 38, Muhammad Faezuan Hakim Mohammad Bustamam, 28, and Nik Muhammad Hafifi Asri Ab Majid, 38. Another worker, Mohd Taufik Mohd Ruslan, 37, remains in critical condition and is receiving treatment at Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital (HSNZ) in Terengganu. Police have classified the case as a sudden death report, and post-mortem examinations on the 3 victims were scheduled for Monday morning. Investigations into the incident are ongoing in coordination with the relevant authorities.
Muhammad Faezuan’s pregnant wife was distraught after learning of her husband’s death. Nurkhaeryna Dhania Azreen Khairil Azri, 28, said she was informed at about 4pm on Sunday after receiving a call from his employer.
“The company was unable to provide any further information about my husband’s condition at that time but only said he was involved in the incident but did not say whether he had died or why they had not obtained the full information,” she said at the HSNZ forensics department on Sunday.
She and her mother immediately travelled from their home in Bukit Setongkol, Kuantan, Pahang, arriving at the hospital at about 7pm. The last time she saw her husband was on 17th May, before he returned to duty on the offshore platform for two weeks. As an experienced offshore worker since 2019, he had just joined the company in March and was scheduled to return home on 1st June.
“I’m very sad because he had planned to accompany me during my confinement period after the birth of our second child. Only Allah knows how devastated I feel,” she said.
Petronas extended its deepest condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of the deceased, saying its immediate priority is to support the well-being of those affected. The suspected mechanical failure involving the lifeboat’s rope or hook system, with a focus on ensuring similar accidents are prevented through enhanced safety protocols and equipment checks.
About the Author
