RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil’s oil regulator ANP ordered state-run Petrobras to seal off most access to its damaged offshore oil and natural gas platform so that authorities can conduct a complete investigation, the agency said in a statement.
The order prohibits Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as Petrobras is formally known, from making any repairs or structural changes to the damaged areas of the Cidade de Sao Mateus that aren’t immediately necessary for the integrity of the vessel.
The Cidade de Sao Mateus, a floating, production storage and offloading vessel (FPSO), is owned by BW Offshore Ltd which leases the converted oil tanker to Petrobras. Five people died on the platform after a gas explosion Wednesday. Four workers are still missing.
