• Employee suffered fatal injuries from fall at about 4am off BP Unity rig.
  • Pumping station is based in Forties pipeline system east of Aberdeen, UK.
  • BP is 'deeply saddened' and confirms man's relatives have been told.

The man was part of a team carrying out routine maintenance on the platform when he fell off it.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'The incident occurred on the Unity platform and enquiries to establish the circumstances are on-going.'

BP later confirmed that the man who died was an offshore worker employed by the firm Cape, adding that it was 'deeply saddened' and confirming that the man’s relatives have been told.

His age is not yet known and no other personal details have been released at this stage.

A BP spokesman said: BP is deeply saddened to confirm that an offshore worker has died following an incident on the Unity platform. The next of kin have been informed.

The offshore worker was an employee of Cape. BP is working with Police Scotland, the HSE, Cape and other relevant organisations to support those affected and ensure that the incident is fully investigated.

'The company extends its deepest sympathies to the deceased’s family and employers and will provide them with every support it can.'

A Cape spokesman said: 'It is with deep regret that Cape confirms the death of an employee following an incident this morning.

'The deceased was part of a Cape team carrying out routine maintenance onboard BP's Unity platform. Our thoughts go out to his family, to whom we will be offering every support.

'The deceased's co-workers are obviously shocked and saddened and we are working alongside BP to ensure they receive the support they need.'

The death comes around six months after an oil worker died after falling from an offshore platform into the North Sea.

George Bartlett, 62, from Shotts, North Lanarkshire, fell during maintenance work on the Taqa-operated Harding platform, about 198 miles north-east of Aberdeen, on February 27.

RMT regional organiser Jake Molloy said it was difficult to comment on the latest incident when details of what happened are not clear.

He added: ‘It's coming so soon after the Harding (incident) when another man ended up in the water in the early hours of the morning, so there's obvious questions about how he came to be there.’

Source: Dailymail