Mexican state oil company Pemex has provided an update on the devastating fire that occurred on a major offshore platform in the southern Gulf of Mexico. According to Pemex CEO Octavio Romero, the incident has resulted in the loss of approximately 700,000 barrels of crude oil production so far, and one individual is still missing. The fire originated on Friday at the Nohoch-A link platform in Pemex’s Cantarell Field before spreading to a compression complex, tragically claiming the lives of two people. Pemex has since reported that the fire has been brought under control.
Romero conveyed the extent of the losses through the company’s Twitter account, stating that “today, 700,000 barrels of losses have been reflected” due to the temporary closure of wells in the affected area. However, as of Saturday afternoon, Pemex had managed to resume production of 600,000 barrels.
Efforts are underway to locate the missing person in the aftermath of the fire at Cantarell, which is a prominent asset responsible for producing around 170,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd). Situated in the Bay of Campeche, approximately 85 kilometers from Ciudad del Carmen, Cantarell encompasses several fields in the offshore region and was once renowned as one of the world’s most productive sites.
Unfortunately, Pemex has experienced a series of industrial accidents in this highly productive zone in recent years. The majority of Mexico’s crude oil production, totaling about 1.6 million bpd, originates from the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
credit: oedigital.com
