Pemex Oil Tanker on Fire in Gulf of Mexico

September 26, 2016

The 2005-built oil tanker Burgos ignited on Saturday while it was in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the ship’s operator, the Mexican state-owned petroleum company Mexican Petroleums (Pemex).

The fire occurred while the vessel, which was loaded with more than 160 thousand barrels of gasoline and diesel fuel, was anchored off the coast of Boca del Rio, Veracruz.

Pemex said that the tanker’s crew of 31 people were safely evacuated and transported to land. There were no injuries reported to the seafarers.

On Sunday, the company said that the first phase of efforts to extinguish the fire was completed and that the fire was suppressed.

Pemex added that it will now launch an investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident.

According to AIS data provided by MarineTraffic, the 40,263 dwt tanker arrived to the Veracruz anchorage from Mexican Port of Coatzacoalcos on September 23.