MALABO/BRAZZAVILLE, April 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thirty workers at an offshore oil platform in Equatorial Guinea, operated by ExxonMobil, and another 14 at oil giant Total in Congo Republic have tested positive for the new coronavirus.
It highlights the risk coronavirus poses to offshore oil installations, where people typically work, sleep and eat in close quarters.
The workers on the Serpentina floating production storage and offloading platform have since been evacuated back onshore and are in quarantine, while ExxonMobil and government officials work to disinfect the platform.
The country’s largest crude stream, Zafiro, is exported by ExxonMobil primarily from the Serpentina FPSO (floating production and storage operation), which has a capacity of roughly 120,000 bpd.
A source close to the ministry said production was not impacted at Zafiro oilfield or at Jade, which has a capacity of roughly 60,000 bpd.
A spokesman for Exxon said the company’s primary focus was the health and safety of its workers.
Equatorial Guinea has reported 258 confirmed cases throughout the country and one death.
Meanwhile, French energy major Total said that 14 workers including two of its staff have tested positive for the new coronavirus at its sites in Congo Republic, but output at the 190,000 barrels per day operations have not been affected.
Total said it activated its pandemic plan after the first case to ensure the continuity of its activity and was postponing non-routine operations, so as to limit the number of workers strictly limited to maintaining its production.
“Contact subjects are systematically identified and placed in isolation for observation. In addition, the sites are disinfected regularly and a medical visit takes place every day for all staff,” Total said in a statement.
A document by Total Congo operations said that the suspect cases were taken onshore and put in quarantine for 14 days and declared to Congo authorities.
One of Total’s major projects in Congo, the Moho deep offshore project which began production in 2017, accounts for around 60% of Congo’s oil output.
Congo Republic reported 200 positive coronavirus cases and eight deaths since the first case on March 15. — NNN-AGENCIES
