Energy Ministry Confirms Crane Operator Injured During Incident At Perenco’s Samaan Alpha Offshore Platform
UPDATE (18/10/26): On 17th October, 2026, Dr. the Honourable Roodal Moonilal, MP, Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, Mr. Ernesto Kesar, MP, Minister in the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, together with Ms. Karinsa Tulsie, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, met with Mr. Gabriel Dubrule, Operations Manager, Mr. Allan Russell, Business Advisor and Mr. Stephen Awah, Administrative Manager of Perenco to acquire an update on the incident involving a crane at Perenco’s Samaan Alpha platform within the TSP Area, offshore Galeota.
Minister Moonilal indicated that the Government views any and all incidents as serious and have been actively engaged with representatives from all regulatory agencies regarding the incident. Minister Moonilal acknowledged the response of Perenco in treating with the incident.
Perenco indicated that it is in the process or preparing the preliminary report on the incident and intends to submit same to the required regulatory agencies within the stipulated legal timeframe. Perenco further advised that the contractor vessel, which was impacted by the crane incident, was able to return to base on its own propulsion and that no worker on that vessel was injured.
In the interim, Perenco informed the Ministry that it has suspended all crane operations throughout its installations in Trinidad and is actively conducting inspections on all such cranes. The Ministry said it is “important to note that there has been no negative impact to the base production of crude oil from the Perenco operated assets.”
Perenco remains fully engaged with all regulatory agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) as well as the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries.
Mr. Russell of Perenco indicated that it is imperative that all activities are done efficiently and safely to minimize the impact to people, life, environment and property whilst liaising with all stakeholders involved.
The Ministry added that it “remains committed to safely regulating the energy sector of Trinidad and Tobago.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: The body of this article has been updated with new details.
The Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries is confirming that a crane operator was safely rescued at sea and transported to shore for medical assessment and treatment following an incident during lifting operations at Perenco’s Samaan Alpha offshore platform on Wednesday afternoon (14th October, 2026).
During the incident, a crane reportedly detached from the pedestal on the offshore platform, around 4:00 PM, resulting in the crane operator, identified as Jason Augustine, falling into the sea. He remained conscious and was rescued by crew members aboard the support vessel, “Mr. Row.” The operator was immediately administered first aid, while a medic from the Samaan field was mobilized to provide additional treatment. He was subsequently transported to shore and conveyed to the Southern Medical Centre (SMC) in San Fernando via Ambulance.
Perenco confirmed that he sustained an abrasion to his forehead and a laceration to his left forearm. Following medical assessments, the operator was discharged from SMC at approximately 6:45 AM this morning (Thursday 15th October, 2026). No other personnel were injured, and there was no reported damage to nearby subsea infrastructure.
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In a Media Release today, the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries said it was informed by Perenco last evening (Wednesday 14th October, 2026) of an “incident involving a crane during lifting operations at its Samaan Alpha offshore platform.”
The Ministry notes that it was informed that the crane operator was “safely rescued and transported to shore for medical assessment and treatment. Additionally, Perenco advised that no other personnel on site was affected by the incident. Perenco is making arrangements to safely secure and recover the affected crane equipment and will undertake an investigation to determine the cause of the incident.”
The Ministry said it “remains in close contact with Perenco and will continue to monitor developments and ensure that appropriate follow-up actions are taken in accordance with applicable safety and regulatory requirements.”
Perenco is an independent Anglo-French oil and gas company which operates across fourteen (14) countries in Central Africa, Latin America, South East Asia, and Europe. In Trinidad and Tobago, the company operates the Teak, Samaan and Poui (TSP) fields and previously acquired the Greater Angostura offshore fields [Blocks 2(c) and 3(a)] from Woodside Energy.
An investigation has been launched into the circumstances which led to the potentially dangerous incident.
More on this as it becomes available.
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