Three dead and one injured in lifeboat accident off the coast of Malaysia

On Saturday, three men died and one was injured on an oil platform off the coast of Malaysia during maintenance of a lifeboat, reports Ekonomi Rakyat.

At around 12:50 local time, four contractors boarded the lifeboat for inspection on the Sepat FSO unit, located off the eastern coast of the Malaysian peninsula, known for its active oil and gas production. According to local media, there was an incident involving a cable or hook system failure, causing the lifeboat to fall into the water.

The four injured were evacuated to a hospital in Kuala Terengganu. Three of them were pronounced dead upon arrival at 6:00 PM, while the fourth is under strict observation.

The deceased were identified as Ahmad Fikri Zakaria (38), Nik Muhammad Hafifi Asri Ab Majid (37), and Muhammad Faezuan Hakim Mohammad Bustamam (28), according to information from the New Straits Times.

Bustamam's wife, Nurkairina Dania Azrin Hairil Azri, told local media Sinar that she had just communicated with her husband on the morning of the accident. "This morning he texted me on WhatsApp that he couldn't wait to come home and wanted to take leave," she said. "After I replied to the message, he stopped responding."

Initial reports suggested that the incident occurred during lifeboat drills; however, Petronas later confirmed that the accident happened during maintenance.

Lifeboats are among the most dangerous devices on commercial vessels: due to their height above the water, any mechanical failure can have serious consequences. Corrosion, fatigue, wear, and human error, sometimes exacerbated by design flaws in the system, create the potential for falls.

By nature, lifeboats are often used with multiple people on board, increasing the impact of any incident. In the past, failures during lifeboat drills have accounted for about one in six sailor deaths and have claimed hundreds of lives over the years. Accidents during drills have led to such high mortality rates that the IMO has allowed captains to prohibit crew members from boarding lifeboats during evacuation drills. This policy regularly saves lives but has not eliminated the risk: crew members or contractors still need to periodically board lifeboats for scheduled maintenance.