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The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has accused the Anglo-French oil firm Perenco of playing a “pivotal role” in the deaths of six workers following a fire on an offshore platform off Gabon’s coast.
In a recent report, the London-based NGO placed responsibility on the French headquarters of the Perenco Group for the March 2024 blaze at the Becuna platform, located off Gabon’s southeast shoreline.
Gabon’s Petroleum Minister, Marcel Abeke, described the incident as the “most serious tragedy in the history of oil exploitation in our country.”
The 48-page report features video evidence showing large volumes of crude oil erupting several metres high and spilling onto the platform, a likely cause of the subsequent fire.
Perenco, a privately-owned oil and gas company, responded on Friday by dismissing the report as containing “a large number of false and defamatory allegations,” but did not provide further comment.
According to the EIA, the fire resulted primarily from inadequate platform maintenance, faulty equipment, and a lack of sufficient safety measures that might have prevented the disaster.
The NGO’s findings stem from more than four years of investigative work, including interviews with whistleblowers, undercover sources, and data analysis.
The report includes testimonies revealing that two weeks before the explosion, two oil eruptions occurred on the same platform, causing several employees to request transfers due to fears for their safety.
Furthermore, the EIA alleges a potential cover-up involving witness intimidation, obstruction of auditors, collusion, and corruption, suggesting that a government investigation may have been suppressed.
Following the accident, Perenco chairman François Perrodo handed a preliminary report to Gabon’s then-transition leader, President Brice Oligui Nguema, and assured state media that the company would be transparent regarding the cause of the tragedy.
However, the EIA claims that independent government-appointed experts were denied access to the platform in the days after the incident.
The report also suggests that the findings of a government-commissioned audit were withheld from President Oligui Nguema and senior cabinet members.
Requests for comment from the Gabonese presidency were not answered.
Gabon, with a population of around 2.3 million, has a GDP per capita of $7,802 as of 2023, making it one of Africa’s wealthier nations, with oil production a vital part of its economy.
