Early today, Mexican state oil company Pemex announced it extinguished a fire on the ocean surface west of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. According to the oil major, a gas leak from an underwater pipeline was responsible for sparking a blaze. Thus, company workers used nitrogen to control the fire.
Read more of our news content, here; Electric Safety this 4th of July; PG&E gives recommendations
Additionally, Pemex added that it would investigate the cause of the incident.
Pemex on what happened
Indeed, this fire went viral this Friday through several videos capturing such a blaze. However, Pemex reported no injuries. Besides, the company said, production from the project was not affected after the gas leak ignited around 5:15 a.m. local time.
In fact, and according to Pemex, the fire began in an underwater pipeline that connects to a platform at Pemex’s flagship Ku Maloob Zaap oil development. The company added it also shut the valves of the 12-inch-diameter pipeline.
As four sources told news hub Reuters earlier today, Ku Maloob Zaap is the company’s most important development. Indeed, this oil development is located just up from the southern rim of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM).
About Ku Maloob Zaap
Moreover, Ku Maloob Zaap is Pemex’s biggest crude oil producer, accounting for more than 40% of its nearly 1.7 million barrels of daily output.
Indeed, an incident report shared by one of Reuters’ sources says that; “the turbomachinery of Ku Maloob Zaap’s active production facilities were affected by an electrical storm and heavy rains.” However, Pemex did not share those details in its statement.
According to Reuters, Angel Carrizales, head of Mexico’s oil safety regulator ASEA; wrote on Twitter that the incident “did not generate any spill”. However, he did not explain what was burning on the water’s surface.
