Fire On Board and Sinking of Liftboat Mako
Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Guinea
6 miles off the coast of Nigeria
January 16, 2012
NTSB Number: MAB-13-14
Adopted: July 16, 2013
PDF
Accident Summary
About 0503 on January 16, 2012, the US liftboat Mako caught fire while supporting oil drilling operations about 6 miles off the coast of Nigeria, Africa. No one on board was injured, but the Mako was a total loss in the accident.
Probable Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the fire on board and sinking of the liftboat Mako was a blow-out of the well-head under the adjacent jack-up drilling rig KS Endeavor, which resulted in an uncontrollable gas fire that rapidly spread to the liftboat.
