Fire is seen over fuel storage tanks that exploded near Cuba's supertanker port in Matanzas, Cuba, August 6, 2022. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
By Marc Frank and Nelson Acosta
HAVANA, Aug 7 (Reuters) – Cuba sought on Sunday to bring under control a fire at its main oil storage facility that has killed one firefighter, drawing on help from Mexico and Venezuela to fight the raging flames.
A lightning strike on Friday ignited one of eight storage tanks at the Matazanas super tanker port 60 miles east of Havana. A second tank caught fire on Saturday, catching firefighters and others at the scene by surprise. Sixteen people were missing.
The second explosion injured more than 100 people, many first responders, and 24 remain hospitalized, five of those in critical condition.
“We are facing a fire of such magnitude that it is very difficult to control in Cuba, where there are not all the means that are required,“ Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel told reporters.
On Sunday, 82 Mexican and 35 Venezuelan personnel experienced in combating fuel blazes joined the effort, bringing four planeloads of fire-fighting chemicals.
“The help is important, I would say that it is vital and it is going to be decisive,” Diaz-Canel said. Cuba had been using water and helicopters to battle the flames.
Jorge Pinon, director of the University of Texas at Austin’s Latin America and Caribbean Energy and Environment Program, said each tank at the facility could store 300,000 barrels and provided fuel to electric plants.
Cuba has been suffering daily blackouts and fuel shortages. The loss of fuel and storage capacity is likely to aggravate the situation, which has spurred small local protests in the last few months.
(Reporting by Marc Frank; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 109,835 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
In a dramatic scene off the coast of Bangladesh, two liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers erupted in flames during a cargo transshipment operation on Sunday. Fortunately, injuries were averted thanks...
Marina del Rey, California (gCaptain) In the early evening Wednesday a yacht explosion in Los Angeles County, transformed from a tranquil harbor to a chaotic disaster zone. The Admiral, a...
MOSCOW, Aug 22 (Reuters) – A ferry loaded with fuel tanks sank in the Russian port of Kavkaz in southern Krasnodar region on Thursday after a Ukrainian attack, local authorities said. The ferry carrying...
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
Sign Up
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 109,835 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
