The world's biggest offshore oil rig, owned by Brazil's state oil giant Petrobras, threatened to sink into the ocean spilling crude oil yesterday, a day after an explosion that apparently killed 10 people.
Three powerful blasts rocked the 40-story rig off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state on Thursday, causing a fire that killed at least one of the 175 workers aboard.
PHOTO: AFP
Nine workers were listed as missing, and Petrobras said on Thursday that there was little chance they had survived. Another worker was hospitalized with severe burns.
Public outrage mounted against accident-prone Petrobras yesterday as its biggest platform tilted into the sea. If the rig sinks it could dump crude and diesel into the open ocean, causing yet another environmental disaster.
Tense families of the workers also waited to see if the official death toll would rise when search and rescue operations resume later in the day.
"Petrobras is much more worried about cutting costs than ensuring the safety of its workers and of the environment," said Jandira Segalli, a federal deputy who met with officials after the explosion.
Union leaders called a nationwide protest yesterday to demand safer working conditions. They accused Petrobras of outsourcing work to inexperienced workers in order to cut costs, thus putting its employees at risk.
More than 80 oil workers have died in accidents over the last three years, according to the United Oil Workers Federation (FUP).
It was still not clear what caused the blasts at the platform, located in the Roncador oil field 125 km offshore in the Campos Basin, where 80 percent of Brazil's oil is produced.
But damage to one of the rig's hulls threatened to send the rig sinking into the ocean.
"If the degree of listing increases we are going to lose the platform," Petrobras President Henri Philippe Reichstul said in a video conference on Thursday. "It will only be clear by tomorrow [yesterday] morning."
The immense structure was listing three times more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa, according to engineers, and appeared on the verge of lurching into the sea. If it did, at least half of the 1,200m3 of diesel and 300m3 of crude stored on the rig could spill.
Five boats are standing by to collect the oil, but they can only hold half of the total amount stored there.
The P-36 rig can produce up to 180,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it the world's biggest platform, but after starting operations last year, it was only pumping out 80,000 bpd, or 5 percent of Brazil's total daily output.
All production was halted and Petrobras said it could lose US$50 million a month with the rig out of operation.
Petrobras' stock sank 6.8 percent and Brazil's currency weakened on Thursday on investor concerns that Petrobras will have to make up for lost production with more costly imports.
Petrobras has also caused a string of high-profile environmental disasters in recent years.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
AMENDMENT: Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of high-temperature days, affecting economic productivity and public health, experts said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is considering amending the Meteorological Act (氣象法) to classify “high temperatures” as “hazardous weather,” providing a legal basis for work or school closures due to extreme heat. CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) yesterday said the agency plans to submit the proposed amendments to the Executive Yuan for review in the fourth quarter this year. The CWA has been monitoring high-temperature trends for an extended period, and the agency contributes scientific data to the recently established High Temperature Response Alliance led by the Ministry of Environment, Lu said. The data include temperature, humidity, radiation intensity and ambient wind,
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
RSS