Discovery of Tullow subcontractors with COVID-19 “will not affect production”

Tullow Oil Ghana Ltd, the operator of Ghana’s Jubilee and TEN oilfields, has given the assurance that the discovery of two confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection among subcontractors on the company’s staff will have no impact on its oil and gas production operations.

This is contained in a statement issued by Tullow and copied to Asaaseradio.com. The statement reads, “Tullow Ghana reports that on 21 May, two subcontractors working in the field displayed suspected COVID-19 symptoms and were medically evacuated to a government-approved quarantine facility and tested.

“The Ghana Health Service has confirmed initial test results as positive for the COVID-19 virus . . . The affected individuals are in good health, but remain in isolation onshore for further monitoring and testing.”

The firm says after the discovery, a team from the Ghana Health Service (GHS), in line with established protocols, has started contact tracing and testing among personnel and subcontractors serving aboard the Kwame Nkrumah floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel and the adjacent MV Lancelot accommodation barge.

Strict quarantine

This is the first such incident recorded by a player in Ghana’s oil and gas industry, and Tullow is keen to reassure Ghanaians that the health and safety of its staff, contractors, subcontractors and host communities, especially Takoradi, remain its priority.

The firm says it is committed to abiding by all the World Health Organization (WHO) and GHS safety protocols and procedures for limiting the risk of spreading COVID-19, and has complied strictly with quarantine procedures for all personnel working offshore, including subcontractors.

It adds that it will assess further actions that may be available, to minimise the risk of infection at its facilities.

Western Region emerges as a hot spot

News of the appearance of COVID-19 in Ghana’s offshore oil province comes barely 24 hours after the GHS cited the Western Region as a new hot spot for the coronavirus infection. Fifty-seven new cases had been detected there.

The areas within the region affected are the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis and the gold-mining town of Tarkwa.

Patrick Aboagye, director general of the GHS, who announced this during a news conference on Tuesday, says he will dispatch a team to the region to gather first-hand information about the development. The team will also advise him on measures to contain the further spread of COVID-19 infection.

Ghana has recorded 7,117 coronavirus positives so far, of whom 2,317 have recovered and 34 have died. According to the GHS, since the first two cases were identified on 12 March, 202,130 tests in total have been conducted across the country.

Fred Dzakpata

* Asaase Radio 99.5 FM. Coming soon – tune in or log on to live streaming.

* Twitter: @asaaseradio995