Subsea gas pipeline leak causes massive fire in Gulf of Mexico

One of the largest platforms of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), had an underwater gas pipeline leak and caused an explosion and fire 150 meters, in the Gulf of Mexico

A gas leak in the submarine gas pipeline of the company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), at a depth of almost 80 meters, caused, early this Friday (02), an explosion and a fire 150 meters away from the Ku Sierra platform, in the Gulf from Mexico.

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the fire control

According to Pemex, the fire caused by the leak in the subsea gas pipeline was controlled after the interconnection valves were closed and it also states that there were no casualties. The causes of the fire are still being investigated.

According to the incident report, machinery at Ku Maloob Zaap's production facility was hit by heavy rain and an electrical storm. The company sent fire control boats to the Gulf of Mexico that pumped in more water to bring the situation under control. Despite rumours, the causes of the leak in the undersea gas pipeline remain unknown.

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No risk of oil released into the sea

According to Angel Carrizales, head of the oil safety regulatory agency in Mexico, the incident with the gas pipeline leaking from the platform in the Gulf of Mexico, did not cause any oil spillage at sea, however it was not explained by him, which burned on the water surface.

According to information, this Petróleos Mexicanos platform, known as Ku Maloob Zap, mentioned above, is one of the most important for the company and is responsible for more than 40% of the more than 1,5 million barrels produced per day. Despite this, the KMZ, which had the leak in the submarine gas pipeline, has suffered a decline in production since 2019, falling from 770 barrels to 640, in 2020, which further contributed to the decline due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

the gulf of mexico

Known as the Mediterranean of the Americas, the Gulf of Mexico is a large ocean basin or body of water that is surrounded by land. It is located between North America and Central America, bathing the United States, in the states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas and also Mexico in the states of Tamaulipas, Tabasco, Veracruz, Lucatan, Campeche and also the island from Cuba.

The Gulf has an area of ​​approximately 1,5 million km² and a volume of approximately 2.400 thousand km² and is mainly composed of the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.