An international rescue operation airlifted all 84 people from an American oil-drilling rig breaking up and sinking in rough seas between Cyprus and Israel yesterday, authorities said.
A helicopter from the Italian frigate Aliseo plucked the crew of the rig, the Key Singapore, to safety, a NATO spokesman, Mr Tim Dunne, said in Naples. They were aboard the US navy frigate Ross heading to the northern Israeli port of Haifa.
An Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman said the oil platform was dragged by waves in bad weather out of Egyptian waters at Ras al-Birr towards the coast off Tel Aviv. "Everyone on board was saved and they will return to Cairo on Wednesday," he said. The passengers included 77 Egyptians, four Britons and "some other nationalities", he added. The Ross and a second US vessel, two British helicopters and a Cyprus police helicopter helped in the rescue.
Lloyd's Shipping Intelligence said the 6,347-tonne rig had sent out a distress message early yesterday and called for helicopters to evacuate the platform after tow-lines snapped. The rig was reported to be breaking up but was still afloat later, Lloyds Casualty Reporting service said, citing a dispatch from Cyprus Rescue Co-ordination Centre.
The Ross was alongside the drill platform but was unable to put a line on it due to the heavy swell. The rig is owned and operated by US-based GlobalSantaFe, the world's second-largest offshore oil and gas driller, the company's office in Aberdeen, Scotland said.