UPDATE: Four dead, 3 missing after oil rig sinks off Red Sea Governorate coast

An oil rig sank off the coast of the Egyptian Red Sea on Tuesday night, killing four staff members who were on board. 

The ADMARINE12 oil rig, owned by Offshore Shukheir Oil Company (OSOCO), capsized in the Gabal al-Zeit area in Ras Ghareb, in the Red Sea governorate, according to government statements. The incident injured 23 out of the 30 people who were on board, while three are still missing, according to a statement made by Saudi ADES Holding, which operates the vessel. 

ADES explained in a statement to the Saudi Stock Exchange that the rig capsized while being towed to a different location, adding that 23 people, including 18 ADES employees, survived the incident, while four, including three ADES employees and one hired by a different party, were killed, and three remain missing. The company vowed to support the families of those affected by the incident.

A Cabinet statement Tuesday night said that the petroleum and labor ministers visited the site to investigate the situation shortly after emergency services received the distress call from the sinking rig.

Red Sea Governor Amr Hefny said that rescue teams were able to retrieve four bodies from the incident area and transfer them to Hurghada General Hospital. 

The teams are still looking for four more bodies of staff who are missing, according to the governor. Of the surviving 22 who were found, rescuers transferred 18 by ambulance to Gouna Hospital in Hurghada, while the other four who had more critical injuries were transferred by plane, Hefny said.

OSOCO is one of the companies owned by the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation.  It was established in 1980 , to oversee oil extraction operations on behalf of EGPC and contractors in the Shukeir Marine Area in the Gulf of Suez. The capsized rig, although owned by OSOCO, was reportedly operated by the Saudi ADES Holding Company, which won a 10-year contract to operate in OSOCO fields in 2023.

For his part, head of the Suez Canal Authority Osama Rabie stated today that ship movement in the canal was not affected by last night’s incident, which occurred 130 nautical miles away from the canal’s southern entrance.

*Editor's note: This report has been updated since publication to reflect new information.