Venezuela gas rig sinks into Caribbean
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A natural gas exploration rig hailed as evidence of Venezuela’s engineering prowess sank in the Caribbean early on Thursday, less than a month after a deadly explosion in the Gulf of Mexico sank a BP-owned oil rig and created a natural disaster.
All 95 workers on the Venezuelan rig were rescued safely and there was no gas leak, the government said.
The BP accident claimed 11 lives and triggered one of the world’s worst oil spills, threatening sensitive coastal areas.
Venezuelan energy minister Rafael Ramirez said the well being explored by the Aban Pearl platform had been safely sealed after the rig sank near the north-east coast, close to the Trinidad and Tobago islands.
“This is different from the Gulf of Mexico, because it is a testing well,” he said.
The rig’s captain and the last three engineers on board had to dive into the sea as the football field-sized platform disappeared beneath the waves, he said.
The Aban Pearl was the first offshore gas rig operated by state oil company PDVSA. State television frequently portrayed the platform as evidence of Venezuela’s engineering prowess.
The OPEC nation has been producing oil for more than a century, almost all of its oil and gas output onshore or from the inland Lake Maracaibo.
Offshore drilling, especially deep water production, is expected to provide more of the world’s oil supply as production in onshore fields declines while demand rises.
The BP spill has prompted a push for tighter offshore drilling regulations in the United States. The Venezuelan accident could bring more scrutiny to offshore drilling.
– Reuters