Boats spray water onto an offshore oil platform that caught fire at the Pemex's Cantarell Field, in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico July 7, 2023. Courtesy Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) @Pemex/Handout via REUTERS
By Amy Stillman (Bloomberg) —
A large oil spill has been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico near the site of a deadly explosion at a Petroleos Mexicanos natural gas platform, according to a report released by Greenpeace and other groups.
Scientist Guillermo Tamburini Beliveau detected the leak on July 4, days before the blast off the coast of Mexico’s Campeche, Greenpeace and others said in a press statement. The spill was about 400 square kilometers (154 square miles) earlier this month and may have grown to about two-thirds the size of Mexico City, Tamburini said in a presentation that includes satellite imagery of the leak.
The spill requires more investigation, Tamburini said in the presentation, “and could be considerably larger.” A Pemex representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pemex has come under scrutiny from environmentalists and analysts for its safety and environmental record after frequent accidents and explosions at its facilities. The company is shouldering $107.4 billion in debt, the most of any oil major, and is struggling under a liquidity crunch. Fires hit half of its refineries in the second half of May, while the company also reported a spate of accidents in a single day at three separate facilities in February.
The spill might not be connected to the blast earlier this month, but it’s much larger than a typical platform leak, said Itziar Irakulis-Loitxate, a lead researcher on a study from the Polytechnic University of Valencia that last year uncovered two large methane leaks from a Pemex offshore platform.
Since the spill started before the gas platform fire in early July, “I would tend to think that these are two unfortunate incidents that have coincided on similar dates but do not have to be related,” she said in an interview. “But it is true that this particular leak is, by far, much bigger and it is lasting much longer than normal, which is undoubtedly very worrying.”
© 2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 109,915 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
By Sanne Wass (Bloomberg) — Denmark received no bids in its largest-ever wind power tender, aimed to more than triple its offshore capacity by the end of the decade. The Danish...
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has issued two major decisions advancing offshore wind development along the U.S. East Coast, despite potential headwinds from...
Donald Trump's transition team is putting together a wide-ranging energy package to roll out within days of his taking office that would approve export permits for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects and increase oil drilling off the U.S. coast and on federal lands, according to two sources familiar with the plans.
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
Sign Up
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 109,915 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
