An employee of one of Woodside’s contractor companies on the Woodside-operated offshore North Rankin Complex died in an incident that occurred at approximately 12.00pm AWST Friday.
The incident occurred during work activity being carried out at the North Rankin Complex. All other people on board are safe, Woodside said without sharing further details into the incident.
Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill said: "This is a very sad day for the extended Woodside family and I offer my deepest sympathy to our colleague’s family, friends and workmates. Any loss of life is heartbreaking. “We are taking all steps to understand the circumstances around this tragic event and are cooperating closely with Western Australian Police and the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Emergency Authority in their ongoing investigations.”
Senior Woodside executives are traveling to Karratha and counseling and support services are being made available to employees and contractors through our Employee Assistance Program, Woodside said.
The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) Chief Executive Samantha McCulloch said: "Australia’s oil and gas industry offers its condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of a worker who died today at Woodside Energy’s North Rankin Complex off Western Australia.
"This is a shock and a tragedy for our industry, which prioritizes workplace health and safety. APPEA and its membership offers its sympathies to all those impacted by this loss."
The North Rankin Complex is an offshore facility comprised of two interconnected production platforms, North Rankin A (NRA) and North Rankin B (NRB), and associated subsea infrastructure, including two export trunklines (1TL and 2TL), which run between the North Rankin Complex facility and the onshore Karratha Gas Plant (KGP).
The North Rankin Complex is located in Commonwealth waters about 135 km offshore from Dampier on the northwest coast of Western Australia in a water depth of about 125 meters.