The vessel, Adam Marine 12, overturned on Tuesday in the Jabal Zeyt area while reportedly being towed to a new offshore worksite near the Ashrafi platform. It is owned by the Offshore Shukheir Oil Company (Osoco).
The bodies of the four deceased have been transferred to a hospital in Hurghada, on Egypt’s Red Sea coast. Of the injured, four were airlifted for urgent medical care, while the remaining 18 were taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Government officials confirmed the figures on Wednesday morning.
A high-level delegation, including Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi and Minister of Labour Mohamed Gobran, was dispatched to the site to oversee rescue operations and liaise with relevant authorities.
The petroleum ministry said it was “closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with relevant authorities and companies in the area,” adding: “We are following developments moment by moment.”
The cause of the incident remains under investigation. On Tuesday, local media carried conflicting reports on the number of casualties, with some suggesting that more people were missing.
The Adam Marine 12 sank in the Gebel El-Zeit area, about 300 kilometres south of the Suez Canal, a key global shipping route linking Europe and Asia.
In a statement on Wednesday, Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), confirmed that shipping traffic through the canal remained unaffected, noting that the incident occurred outside the navigation channel, according to SCA spokesperson George Safwat.
The environmental impact of the sinking has yet to be determined. As an oil company owns the barge, the incident has raised concerns over potential spills or leaks, though no official reports of environmental damage have been issued. Authorities will release further information as investigations and salvage operations continue.
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