It has a capacity to carry 270,000 barrels.
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A Mexican sailor looks on as a Pemex oil tanker burns in the Gulf of Mexico, September 24, 2016.
According to Pemex, a state-run oil company, its tanker “Burgos” was specifically created to carry oil and the way it was constructed eliminated any spill danger.
Business Insider reports, “The fire follows a series of other mishaps at Pemex, ” including the deaths of more than 30 and injuries to dozens of people in April after an explosion at a petrochemical plant in southeast Veracruz state, a joint venture between Pemex and another firm.
“The fire hasn’t been controlled, we are working to control it”, Fernández Carvajal said, admitting that the ship could still sink; “but [that] is what we’re trying to avoid; we are attacking this risk”, he added.
Fuel firm Petroleos Mexicanos ( PEMEX), confirmed the ship – named Barco Burgos – has been evacuated.
Mexico’s environmental protection agency, Profepa, said Sunday in a statement that a mile (1 ½ kilometers) of containment booms were deployed to prevent any fuel from reaching the coast.
Dramatic images show tug boats fighting back the blaze – using water cannons to douse the floating boat fire.
The 31 man crew of the “Burgos” tanker escaped the furious flames while rescue boats turned up to lend a hand.
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At the time of the incident, the Burgos was sailing from Coatzacoalcos in eastern Veracruz state to the Pemex terminal, Port Authority Director Juan Ignacio Fernandez said late Saturday.
