An investigation has been launched after an oil worker was found dead on a rig.
Thirty-five-year-old Ross Flett was the father of four and had worked for offshore giant Transocean for more than six years.
His body was discovered on the firm’s Transocean Rather drilling rig by colleagues.
It was not clear last night how he died and his employer confirmed it had started its own inquiry into the circumstances.
As a ballast control operator, Mr Flett’s job would have entailed keeping the floating rig level and on an even keel while drilling took place.
The keen Celtic fan was a former pupil of Buckie High and lived near the Moray port.
It is understood he studied at the former Banff and Buchan College – which has sites in Fraserburgh and Peterhead and other towns in the north-east – and joined Transocean towards the end of 2007.
He was working off the coast of eastern Malaysia when he died.
A spokesman for Transocean, which has an office in Aberdeen, said: “We regret to confirm a fatality on board the drilling unit Transocean Rather.
“The fatality occurred at approximately 9.10am local time on April 13.
“A Transocean employee working as a ballast control operator was found without vital signs.
“The company has started an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the incident.”
The spokesman added that the rig was currently “warm stacked”, which means that it is capable of working but is currently closed for maintenance.
The American-owned firm, which was set up in the 1920s, now has offices in nearly 20 countries globally, including Angola, Nigeria and the Cayman Islands.
The business owns a fleet of 79 mobile offshore drilling rigs which are currently at points all around the world.
The Transocean Rather was sited close to Labuan island, a remote area of Malaysia more than 1,000 miles from the country’s capital Kuala Lumpur. The 22,000-tonne rig was built in 1987 and can drill up to a depth of 25,000ft.
Gordon MacDonald, who is one of the representatives for the Buckie ward on Moray Council, said last night: “It’s a real tragedy that someone so young has died. Everyone’s feelings are with the family right now.
“It’s far too early to speculate on the cause of death, but as everyone knows it is a notoriously dangerous business.
“My own youngest son works in the oil industry in that part of the world.
“Hearing this terribly sad news really does bring things home to you.”
Recommended for you
