Malaysian police have opened a detailed investigation into the fatal accident at the Sepat FSO facility off Kuala Terengganu. Three contractor workers were killed and one was seriously injured. The accident happened on the afternoon of Sunday 24 May 2026 during maintenance work on a lifeboat. The Malay Mail reported that a team from the Criminal Investigation Department has been deployed to establish the cause.

The Sepat FSO is a floating storage and offloading facility operated by Petronas. It sits about 150 metres off the coast of Kuala Terengganu in waters off Malaysia’s east coast.

The incident occurred at about 12.50pm. Four workers had boarded a lifeboat on the platform to descend to the sea for a maintenance check. A rope or hook attached to the boat is believed to have come loose. The lifeboat fell into the water below. The casualties were taken to Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Kuala Terengganu, where three were pronounced dead on arrival in the early evening.

Petronas confirmed that three workers employed by one of its contractors had died. The three men were Ahmad Fiqri Zakaria, Muhammad Faezuan Hakim Mohammad Bustamam and Nik Muhammad Hafifi Asri Ab Majid. A fourth worker, Mohd Taufik Mohd Ruslan, was seriously hurt and remains under treatment at the hospital. All four men were aged between 28 and 38.

The accident has drawn attention to offshore safety in one of Malaysia’s busiest oil and gas production zones. Lifeboats are among the highest-risk equipment on any offshore facility. Their height above the waterline means a mechanical fault can have severe consequences. Corrosion, wear, fatigue and human error can each contribute to a fall. Because lifeboats often carry several people at once, a single failure can cause multiple casualties.

According to The Maritime Executive, lifeboat failures were once blamed for an estimated one in six seafarer deaths. That record led the International Maritime Organization to let crews stay off lifeboats during abandon-ship drills. Workers must still board the boats for routine maintenance, which is what the Sepat FSO crew was doing when the accident happened.

Kuala Terengganu police chief Azli Mohd Noor said the case is being treated carefully while the cause is established. He spoke to reporters at the Forensic Medicine Department of Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital. “At this stage, the case is being investigated as a sudden death report. However, further investigations are being carried out to determine the actual cause of the incident,” he said.

He added that the case would be reclassified if any criminal element emerged. Azli also urged the public not to speculate or share unverified information on social media.

What comes next in the Sepat FSO investigation

Petronas said its immediate priority is to support the wellbeing of those affected. The company extended its condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the workers who died. It said its own investigation into the cause is under way in cooperation with the relevant authorities. The police inquiry and the company review are now running in parallel.

Their findings will determine whether the case is closed as a sudden death or reclassified. For Malaysia’s offshore industry, the outcome will matter well beyond the Sepat FSO. It is likely to shape how routine lifeboat maintenance is planned and supervised across the sector.

SOURCES: Malay Mail | The Star | The Maritime Executive

This article was drafted by URUS AI’s editorial system and reviewed by our editorial team. Source links are provided above.