FSO BENCHAMAS 2

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Seal malfunction caused fatal accident

A seal malfunction in the FSO 'Benchamas 2' caused it to start taking water located in Block B8/32, approximately 210 km offshore mainland Thailand. Production at the Benchamas field was suspended immediately after the incident and remained offline. The suspension of operations halted the production of approximately 13,000 barrels per day of crude oil and 45 million cubic feet of natural gas.The Thai government and Royal Navy of Thailand were working with both firms to help pump water from the vessel and to monitor any potential oil leaks from the stored crude oil. The authorities have not yet detected such leaks. The vessel has a total storage capacity of 650,000 barrels. MISC converted an Aframax tanker to become the FSO facility in 2017. The Hyundai Heavy Industries originally built the tanker in 1999.

Benchamas oil fields monitored for possible spills - body recovered

The authorities in Thailand were continuing to monitor the waters of the Benchamas oil fields for possible signs of pollution in the wake of the explosion on the FSO 'Benchamas 2' by the Royal Thai Navy and other local agencies. Initial reports stated that the explosion occurred as the crew was performing routine maintenance works. An estimated 400,000 barrels of oil were contained aboard the FSO. The navy prepared for the possible leakage of some of the onboard crude by pre-positioning spill response assets. MEanwhile Chevron crews have recovered the body of the worker who was fatally injured on March 13. Oreparations were being made to return the body to the victim's family. The production at the Benchamas oil field in the Gulf of Thailand remained suspended. The Benchamas field produces about 13,000 barrels per day and approximately 45 million cubic feet per of natural gas.

Government on alert for possible oil spill after fatal explosion

Government agencies were on alert for a potential oil spill from the FSO 'Benchamas 2' in Chevron’s Benchamas field offshore Thailand following the explosion that left one worker dead. He was killed after seawater entered the hull of the vessel when a seal malfunctioned during maintenance work. The contractor worker was aboard the vessel foro the maintenance operation. There were 29 crewmembers onboard the FSO at the time of the blast, and non-essential workers have since been demobilised. The government has tasked the Royal Thai Navy and Department of Transportation to help prevent a possible significant oil spill from the FSO. Multiple agencies were working to recover the body of the dead ewman, fix the leak and avert an oil spill. The vessel’s condition was safe and weather conditions are not interfering with the operations. However, there was no electricity in the engine room, which was affecting assessment of the situation. The FSO had some 400,000 barrels of oil on board at the time of the incident.