Kolskaya rig disaster probe finds safety rules violation by owner
The Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office, which is conducting investigation into the Kolskaya accident case, which killed over 50 people, has found that the sunken jack-up drilling rig owner, Arcticmorneftegasrazvedka ((AMNGR) had violated several requirements of navigation safety, the law enforcement agency said.
According to the Classification Certificate of the Kolskaya, issued by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping on August 10, 2011, towing of the drilling rig in the sea during winter season was prohibited and AMNGR did not have any permission for the voyage in the Sea of Okhotsk to the port of destination in Korsakov.
Besides, the operator violated the rig manning requirements issued by the Murmansk Harbormaster on April 7, 2011, which prescribed that the Kolskaya should have on board only the 20 crew, including the ship's master, during the voyage. The rule was violated as well – there were 67 people aboard the jack-up rig.