The worker, who is contracted to an Australian firm, is understood to now be in Brazil keeping a low profile, while the subsea and pipeline community is abuzz with the anecdote, which has caused global mirth in this small and tight knit sector.

The worker is understood to have been recently married but has not been able to leave the site of the operations for around three months. His work to date is understood to have been excellent until the incident and sources say all parties are treating the matter as a medical issue and are happy for the worker to return after receiving appropriate treatment.

Conditions at the site of the trenching are testing with tidal movements meaning only 4 hours of trenching can be carried out per day.