A helicopter carrying six people destined for a Chevron platform offshore Angola has crashed, leaving four people dead and two missing.
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Cabinda Gulf Oil Co. Ltd. (CABGOC), a subsidiary of Chevron Corp., reported that a helicopter operated by Heli-Malongo departed the Malongo Terminal in Cabinda province on Monday, 26 September, at 15:23 local time with five passengers and a pilot onboard, and was en route to the Tombua-Landana offshore facility.
"The helicopter did not reach its intended destination. Search and rescue operations were mobilized to the area of last contact and are ongoing," Chevron said in a statement. "The team located the remains of four personnel and continues to search for the two colleagues who are unaccounted for. Authorities are working through the identification process and will confirm the names and nationalities of those recovered."
One of the passengers was a CABGOC employee, while four others were contractors that provided services to CABGOC.
According to Houston's Tenaris, on 29 September, local authorities in Angola confirmed that Tenaris field service specialist, José Capita, died as a result of Monday’s (26 September) helicopter crash.
"Authorities confirm Capita, and the remains of three others were recovered. Search efforts continue for the two missing individuals," Tenaris said in a statement. "Capita, a 38-year old Angolan citizen, joined Tenaris in 2010. He is survived by his wife and three children."
"In a statement, Chevron confirmed the crash, and stated the helicopter was carrying five passengers and one pilot. Records indicate the Tenaris field service specialist was on the list of passengers for the flight," Tenaris confirmed on 27 September.
CABGOC is currently conducting an incident investigation.
"Vessels are involved in locating the cockpit data recorder and aircraft debris. CABGOC continues to work in full cooperation with Angolan authorities and are committed to providing additional information as it becomes known," Chevron said on 27 September.
The ongoing search and rescue operation consists of 19 marine vessels and three helicopters.
In Angola, Chevron operates through its wholly owned subsidiary Cabinda Gulf Oil Co. In 2015, the company’s Angola operations had an average net daily production of 110,000 bbl of liquids and 55 MMcf of natural gas.
The Tombua-Landana platform is in deepwater Block 14, where Chevron is the operator and holds 31% stake in a production-sharing contract. In 2015, net daily production was 25,000 bbl of liquids from the Benguela Belize–Lobito Tomboco, Belize North, Benguela North, Tombua and Landana fields.
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