'Humans caught the ocean on fire' :Gulf of Mexico after a gas leak in an underwater pipeline

'Humans caught the ocean on fire' :Gulf of Mexico after a gas leak in an underwater pipeline

A fire broke out in the Gulf of Mexico early on Friday sending bright orange flames onto the water after a gas leak in an undersea pipeline of state-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos or Pemex, reports have said. 

Pemex  tweeted that the "sea fire" was extinguished at 10:45 a.m. following a gas leak about 500 feet from the drilling rig. No injuries were reported and it took about 5 hours to bring the incident under control, the company said.

Although nitrogen was also used to control the fire, the company said it used boats to pump water over the underwater flame, Reuters quoted a pemex incident report as saying.

Pemex officials who are well aware of the matter told Reuters that the fire started in an underwater pipeline, which connects to a base in the company’s flagship ‘Ku Maloob Zaap’ oil development. This primary is located just above the southern edge of the Gulf of Mexico.

Pemax said there were no injuries in the incident and that oil production has been uninterrupted from its primary project following a gas leak at 5:15 a.m. local time. The blaze was completely extinguished around 10:30 a.m. local time, Reuters reported. The Reuters report added that the company said it was investigating the cause of the fire. Pemex further demonstrates that it also closes the valves of the 12-inch diameter pipe.

This is not the first time such an incident has occurred at pemex, and Reuters reports that its facilities have a long record of industrial accidents.

Angel Carrizales, head of Mexico's oil safety regulator ASEA, wrote on Twitter that the fire in the Gulf of Mexico "did not produce any leaks." However, he avoided commenting on things burning on the surface of the water.

‘Ku Maloob Zaap, the flagship project, is Pemex's largest crude producer, accounting for more than 40 percent of the company's daily production of nearly 1.7 million barrels.

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