A screengrab of the ‘eye of fire’ in Mexico.
Photo: Twitter
WATCH: Ocean on fire in Mexico after a gas pipeline leak
Pemex, which is responsible for the ocean fire in Mexico has a long history and record of horrendous and deadly accidents.
A screengrab of the ‘eye of fire’ in Mexico.
Photo: Twitter
A leak in an underworld gas pipe in Mexico’s state owned oil company Petróleos Mexicanos’ (Pemex) controlled pipeline caused a raging fire in the Gulf of Mexico.
Scenes from the incident which went viral on social media show at least three ships dousing water trying to extinguish the fire which lasted for 5 hours on Friday, 2 July.
GAS LEAK RESPONSIBLE FOR ‘OCEAN FIRE’
In a statement, Pemex said the gas leak was registered in the 12-inch submarine pipeline. The fire in the sea occurred 150 meters from the KU-C satellite platform, located in the Ku-Maloob-Zaap, an offshore oil field in the Bay of Campeche.
“The incident was dealt with immediately when the security protocols were activated and with the accompaniment of nearby firefighting vessels such as Santa Cruz Island, Campeche Bay and Bourbon Alienor.
“In addition, the interconnection valves in the pipeline were closed, extinguishing the fire and the gas release, ending the contingency around 10:45 am and restoring normal operating conditions.”
Pemex said no injuries or evacuees are reported and they will carry out a root cause analysis of this incident.
MEXICO’S PEMEX AND ITS LONG HISTORY OF DEADLY ACCIDENTS
According to Futurism, an online publication that reports on science and technology, Pemex has a long history of deadly accidents in its facilities which date back to 1979. Here are some of the incidents:
- In 1979, the company’s exploratory oil well Ixtoc I in the Gulf of Mexico experienced a blowout — resulting in one of the worst oil spills in history.
- In 1992, the company was found to be at fault for a series of ten explosions that occurred in Guadalajara, Mexico caused by gasoline in the city’s sewers. The explosions claimed the lives of about 252 people.
- In 2016 alone, there were two separate incidents of explosions and fires at the company’s plants and oil tankers that resulted in the deaths of 28 people.
- Three years earlier, at least 37 died in a blast at Pemex’s Mexico City headquarters in 2013 while a fire at a natural gas facility in northern Mexico killed 26 the year before.
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