Mexico: Oil platform on fire. Four dead, 300 evacuated

Mexico Oil platform on fire. One dead, 300 evacuated (2)

A fire broke out Wednesday on a Pemex-operated oil platform in the Bay of Campeche in Mexico.

According to Pemex, one worker died while 300 were evacuated to nearby platforms, after the Abkatun Alpha platform caught fire. The national oil company said the fire broke out in the dewatering and pumping area of the platform, without specifying what the cause might have been.

So far, 16 workers were officially reported injured, two of them are in serious condition. According to various internet reports however, the number of injured stands at 45.

The worker that tragically died was a contractor for a Mexican oil services company Cotemar.

Pemex said that it was battling the fire with eight firefighting boats.

The production platform is a part of the Abkatún-Pol-Chuc complex, located in the Campeche basin, between the states of Campeche and Tabasco, and approximately 132km northeast from the Port of Dos Bocas maritime terminal. The field started production in 1980.

More to follow…

Update: April 01, 21:20 CET

Pemex confirmed that four workers have died today in a fire on Abkatun Alpha platform.

   

[mappress mapid=”1496″]

Offshore Energy Today Staff