Blast at Pemex GoM Platform Rattles Energy Markets

An explosion hit a platform in a major shallow water field operated by Mexican state oil company Pemex in the southern Gulf of Mexico on Monday, local media reported.

An explosion hit a platform in a major shallow water field operated by Mexican state oil company Pemex in the southern Gulf of Mexico on Monday, local media reported, but it was not clear whether output had been affected.

Emergency services in the nearby state of Campeche confirmed an accident had taken place, but were not able to offer further details.

The platform, Akal-H, is part of the Akal field complex, one of the most productive areas within Cantarell, which in the late 1970s was one of the world's top producing oil fields.

The Akal field produced an average of 177,000 barrels per day (bpd) last year, down sharply from the 2.04 million bpd produced at the peak in 2004, according to Pemex data. A Pemex representative said the company had no immediate details on any incident.

The explosion is the third high seas incident at Pemex this year after an accident on an offshore maintenance rig in the southern Bay of Campeche, first reported by local paper Tabasco Hoy, killed two workers in May.

On April 1, at least four people died at a fire in a separate platform in the Abkatun Pol Chuc complex, which temporarily hit production in the area.

A Pemex spokesperson said it had no immediate details on any incident.

Reporting by Ana Isabel Martinez and Lizbeth Diaz