Pemex Confirms Explosion in Oil Platform at Gulf of Mexico
By Aiswarya Lakshmi
June 23, 2015
An oil platform run by Mexico’s state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) in the southern Gulf of Mexico suffered what appeared to be an explosion on Monday.
Pemex confirmed that there had been an “accident” and a “fire” after a leak of oil and gas, while local media called it an “explosion”.
The company claimed to have contained the oil and gas leak that appears to have sparked a fire on its satellite oil platform. However, it said any impact on output remained unclear.
Local media said there was an explosion and a fire on the platform. The platform, Akal-H, is part of the Akal field complex, one of the most productive areas within Cantarell, which in the late 1970s was one of the world's top-producing oil fields.
The rig part from Akal complex within the Cantarell field, which is operated by Mexico’s state run oil company Pemex.
The platform Akal-H was usually operated remotely, but during the explosion there were three people making a routine inspection on board. All of them were evacuated without any injuries and transported to the shore for medical examinations.
According to preliminary monitoring there is no oil leak and no water pollution after the explosion. The local authorities will follow an investigation for the root cause of the fire.
