Brazil: Oil rig explosion kills 3

(Baonghean.vn) - On Wednesday, February 11, a Petrobras rig exploded off the coast of Espirito Santo state, Brazil, killing three people and injuring many others.

Petrobras oil company. Photo: AFP/Vanderlei Almeida

On Wednesday, the state oil company Petrobras said an oil rig explosion occurred 120 kilometers (75 miles) off the coast of the southeastern Brazilian state of Espirito Santo. The explosion killed three people, injured 10 and left six others missing.

The FPSO rig, also known as Cidade de Sao Mateus, is a working place for 74 people. The FPSO rig is capable of processing and storing barrels of oil extracted from wells as well as transporting natural gas or crude oil. The gas will be transported via pipelines to shore or into storage tanks.

After the explosion, the victims were quickly taken to the hospital. Petrobras said that the incident is now under control and the company is also supporting the affected employees and their families.

According to the National Oil and Gas Agency (ANP) and the Federation of Oil and Gas Unions (FUP), the initial cause of the explosion was a gas leak in the engine room of the FPSO rig. ANP determined that there was no leak in the underwater pipelines and that the FPSO rig was completely stable before the accident occurred. The authorities announced that they would send two investigation teams from ANP and FUP to clarify the incident.

Petrobras has also recently been embroiled in a corruption scandal involving bribery in exchange for contracts. On Friday, Aldemir Bendine was appointed CEO of Petrobras, replacing Graca Forter, the previous director who resigned due to the previous scandal.

Chu Thanh– according to Liberation 11/2