Local News
Oil Tanker in Gulf of Mexico Bursts Into Flames Over Weekend
On Saturday, September 24, Mexican oil company Pemex experienced a disaster on their oil tanker out in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Veracruz along Boca del Rio. A terrifying fire began, and the crew of 31 had to be evacuated to escape the encompassing flames that created huge clouds of black smoke.
Though they’re unsure as to what caused the fire, the oil tanker called “Burgos” held gallons of diesel and Magna gasoline. It took the whole day to get the flames to calm with so much fuel for the fire on board.
This incident could continue to hurt Pemex’s reputation, which has been declining recently. According to Reuters, “The fire follows a series of other mishaps at Pemex, which is coping with major losses, increased competition at home, sharp budget cuts, and lower revenue due to the oil price rout.”
To give us a closer look at the state of the oil tanker, some Instagram users have uploaded video of raging flames. It’s a bizarre sight to see a ship spray water over flames and smoke billowing out from the Gulf of Mexico waters. Once you recognize the scale of the fire, it’s easy to see why the flames weren’t extinguished for many hours.