Pemex Dismantles to Extinguish the Fire at Kab 101

Pemex has started dismantling the drilling tower and cantilever on the jackup rig Usumacinta to facilitate putting out the week-old fire and stopping the Kab 121 well hydrocarbon spill on the Kab 101 platform.

Once the deconstruction is complete, and the fire has been extinguished, Pemex has said that it will install new valves to stop the spill. The company hopes to get the 5,700-barrel-a-day wells up and running again soon.

The Usumacinta collided with the Kab 101 platform during harsh weather on October 23. Workers were forced to evacuate, and 21 people died in the incident.

News source Efe reported that an estimated 422 barrels of oil a day are spilling into the Gulf of Mexico presently.

Located in the Gulf of Mexico offshore the Mexican state of Tabasco, the Usumacinta is owned by Mexican company Perforadora Central.