Fire on Pemex’s Akal-B platform leaves one worker dead and 13 injured – El Financiero

The fire at the Akal-B platform located in the Campeche Sound caused the death of a worker from the COTER company and left 13 workers affected with burns and/or bruises, reported Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex).

Specifically, it was detailed that five Pemex workers were injured, of which two of them had first and second degree burns, two others had bruises, but are stable, and one worker was transported to CDMX for treatment. since his health is serious.

At the COTER company, in addition to the dead worker, three employees suffered first and second degree burns and are hospitalized in stable condition, one of them is being treated in serious condition and one more has already been evaluated and discharged.

Regarding the DIAVAZ company, three workers were evaluated at a Social Security hospital, but have already been discharged.

The oil company reported that the incident began at 4:48 p.m. on Saturday, April 6, in the area where the pipes that handle fuel gas for the turbomachinery are located.

“The Emergency Response Plan (PRE) was immediately activated at the facility, controlling the fire at 5:04 p.m.,” the oil company said in a statement.

Pemex indicated that they are carrying out the inspection and evaluation of the area to establish the causes of this fire and the actions that allow the reestablishment of the operation of the Akal-B Process Center.

In 2023, the Akal field produced an average of 21.5 thousand barrels of oil per day, according to data from the National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH).

On the afternoon of this Sunday, it was announced that one of the injured workers was rushed to the Ciudad del Carmen International Airport, Campeche, to be taken to the Los Angeles hospital in Mexico City.

The injured person was identified as Guillermo Isaac Rodríguez Camacho, currently active in Petróleos Mexicanos, his health condition is serious and he is intubated with third degree burns on almost his entire body.

For his transfer, Pemex ambulance 023 was used to the Ciudad de Carmen airport, heading to the hospital located in the southern area of ​​CDMX.

Why did the platform in Campeche catch fire?

On Saturday afternoon, an explosion was recorded on the Akal Bravo platform of the Cantarell production asset in the Campeche Sound.

The Akal Bravo platform is 45 minutes by air from Isla del Carmen, which made it difficult to rescue the workers who fell into the sea at the time of the explosion and fire. It is estimated that there were 28 workers.

The platform belongs to the Northeast Marine Region Production Subdirectorate and its engineering and rescue personnel are already carrying out an evaluation.

These have been the most recent accidents at Pemex

During the current administration, more than 12 accidents or negligence related to Pemex have occurred, resulting in the death of 178 workers and more than 150 injuries.

Some of the most frequent have been fires in the National Refining System (SNR) on maritime platforms, pipeline explosions due to firefighting, negligence in providing expired medications to workers, gas leaks, among others.

According to a report from the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO), the frequency of accidents within Pemex decreased in the last quarter of 2023, but their severity increased.

With information from Lourdes Alonzo