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    | Oct-26-2007  Gulf of Mexico oil rig accident death toll rises to 19(topic overview)CONTENTS:
SOURCES
MEXICO CITY Rescuers have saved at least 55 oil workers from storm-tossed waters, officials said Wednesday, but at least 26 other people were still at sea a day after a drilling platform hit an oil rig, spilling gas and oil into the Gulf of Mexico. At least 26 employees of the state oil company were still either floating at sea in life rafts or were unaccounted for, Pemex spokeswoman Marta Avelar said. The company had located two rafts but its helicopters were not able to reach them because of heavy winds. [1] Temperatures plunged as far away as Mexico City. Huge waves and strong winds late on Tuesday caused two offshore drilling rigs to knock together, causing pipes on one of them to start leaking oil and natural gas, Pemex said. The 81 workers on the damaged platform -- located in the Kab oil field in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico -- jumped off into emergency life rafts, but only around 75 of them had been located by Wednesday morning.[2] The accident occurred when an oil drilling rig slammed into a platform during a heavy storm that caused 130 kilometer an hour winds and eight-meter high waves. Mexico's state-owned energy company Pemex says 86 workers abandoned their drilling platforms and escaped into emergency life rafts. At least 61 people were rescued.[3] Petroleos Mexicanos, Pemex, state-owned oil monopoly, said at least 10 workers were killed when an oil rig hit a drilling platform during a storm this week in the Gulf of Mexico, and 18 are still missing or in lifeboats.[4] In this undated file photo provided by Mexico's national oil company, Pemex, on June 13, 2006, an offshore oil installation is seen in the gulf of Mexico near the coast of Campeche, Mexico. At least 10 oil workers were killed when a drilling platform hit an oil rig, spilling gas and oil into the Gulf of Mexico, Pemex said Wednesday.[5] MEXICO CITY (AP) — At least 18 oil workers were killed when a drilling rig hit an oil platform in stormy weather, spilling gas and oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the state-owned oil company said Wednesday.[5] MEXICO CITY, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Mexican navy rescue teams scoured rough seas in helicopters and boats on Thursday for four missing oil workers who leapt off an offshore drilling platform damaged in a powerful storm that left 19 dead. The platform began leaking oil and gas when it lurched onto its side in high winds and collided with an adjacent rig late on Tuesday in bad weather triggered by a severe cold front.[6] MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A fierce storm killed four Mexican oil workers and helicopter rescue teams were searching on Wednesday for several still missing in rolling seas after they fled an offshore rig damaged by 8-meter waves.[2] VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico, Oct 24 (Reuters) - A storm killed 18 Mexican oil workers fleeing a battered offshore rig, and Navy rescue teams were searching on Wednesday for seven people missing in the turbulent seas.[7] MEXICO CITY (AP) - Rescuers were searching stormy Gulf of Mexico seas Thursday for four oil workers still missing after a drilling rig collided with an offshore platform.[8] MEXICO CITY (AP) - Pemex says at least ten oil workers died when a drilling platform hit an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico about 20 miles off the Dos Bocas.[9] MEXICO CITY, Oct 24 (Reuters) - A fierce storm stranded dozens of Mexican oil workers in rough waters on Tuesday after they fled a drilling platform damaged by 25-foot (8-metre) waves. Mexico closed its main oil exporting ports in the crude-rich Gulf of Mexico as a cold front hit the area, cutting off most of the country's vital crude shipments to the United States.[10] MEXICO CITY (AP) - Officials have rescued 55 workers stranded in stormy Gulf of Mexico waters after evacuating an oil drilling platform that had collided with a rig.[11] Mexico City (AHN) - About 10 workers died and 18 employees were still either floating at sea in life rafts or were unaccounted for when a drilling platform hit an oil rig.[12] At least 10 oil workers have been killed after a drilling platform hit an oil rig, spilling gas and oil into the Gulf of Mexico.[13] AT LEAST ten oil workers were killed and many more left stranded in the sea when a drilling platform hit an oilrig, spilling gas and oil into the Gulf of Mexico.[14] At least 18 workers have died after huge waves knocked a drilling platform and an oil rig together in the Gulf of Mexico, setting off gas and oil leaks.[15] At least 18 people were killed and seven went missing after a gas leak that forced the evacuation of workers from an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. "The number of workers who lost their lives so far is 18," Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) said in a statement, without indicating the cause of death. It said 61 workers out of a total of 86 involved in the accident on the Usumacinta oil rig had been rescued.[16] Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- The collision of a Petroleos Mexicanos oil rig and a floating platform in a storm this week was the deadliest offshore accident in the Gulf of Mexico in 43 years, killing at least 19 workers and leaving four missing. The death toll is the second-worst in the Gulf, where Mexico produces most of its oil and the U.S. receives about 27 percent of its output.[17] MEXICO CITY, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The collision of a drilling rig and an offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico has left 19 dead and four others missing, said Mexico's state-owned oil giant Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) Thursday.[18] Mexico City, Mexico (AHN) - Authorities are continuing the search for seven people, after a storm in the Gulf of Mexico killed 18 oil workers, the state-owned oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) announced.[19] Mexico City, Oct 25 - At least 10 people were killed when a drilling platform and an oil rig collided in the southern Gulf of Mexico, state-owned petroleum giant Pemex has said.[20] Pemex director Jesus Reyes Heroles told Mexican senators that 63 people have been rescued, vowing to continue the search for the missing "until we are absolutely sure there is very low possibility of finding anyone alive." On Tuesday an offshore drilling platform of Pemex in the Kab oil field, southeastern Gulf of Mexico, lurched onto its side in high winds and collided with an adjacent rig.[18] Mexican President Felipe Calderon has ordered an inquiry after an accident on an offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico left at least 19 people dead. Huge waves knocked the platform onto its side and into a drilling rig, setting off gas and oil leaks.[21] The mobile drilling rig hit the oil platform on Tuesday amid 25-foot waves and winds gusting to 80 miles per hour. It had been preparing to drill close to the platform when the accident happened about 20 miles offshore from the port of Dos Bocas in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.[22] Eighty-one workers and five rescue personnel abandoned a subcontractor's drilling rig known as the Usumacinta on Tuesday, after it hit the Kab 101 light-production platform and damaged a valve amid 25-foot (8-meter) waves and winds gusting to 80 mph (130 kph). "All night long I was alone at sea, sad, and thinking of my family," survivor Jesus Manuel Garcia, who floated on the ocean for 16 hours before his rescue off the Gulf coast state of Tabasco, told the Televisa television network in an interview Thursday.[23] Eighty-one workers and five rescue personnel abandoned a subcontractor's drilling rig known as the Usumacinta on Tuesday, after it hit the Kab 101 light-production platform and damaged a valve. President Felipe Calderon, who visited some of the survivors on Thursday, blamed the weather for the collision, and said he has ordered the navy to continue searching for the missing workers. "Independently of the fact that the information we have indicated that the accident at this platform was fundamentally due to the extraordinarily bad weather conditions, I have ordered the director of Petroleos Mexicanos and all federal authorities to carry out the most exhaustive investigation," Calderon said.[8] The company said 81 workers and five rescue personnel abandoned a subcontractor's drilling rig known as the Usumacinta after it hit the Kab 101 light-production platform amid 25-foot waves and winds gusting to 80 mph.[5] The oil monopoly said that about 81 workers abandoned a subcontractor's Usumancita platform Tuesday after it hit the Kab 101 light-production rig amid 25-foot waves and winds gusting to 80 mph. Five rescue workers who first went to the site were among those missing.[12] More than 80 workers were forced to abandon a subcontractor's Usumacinta platform on Tuesday after it hit the Kab 101 light production rig amid 25ft waves and winds gusting up to 80mph. Five rescue workers who first went to the scene were among those missing.[14] Weather conditions were calmer on Thursday and Mexico's three biggest oil ports -- Coatzacoalcos, Dos Bocas and Cayo Arcas ports -- reopened after being shut for two days. Pemex said rescue crews had not given up on their search for the four missing workers from the Usumacinta platform in the Kab oil field in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. "It is not over yet.[6] The bad weather shut Mexico's top three oil exporting ports in the crude-rich Gulf of Mexico for a second day, suspending oil shipments to the United States. Port officials saw it as unlikely they would reopen before Thursday. Pemex said U.S. buyers of its oil should not be hurt as it would reschedule the delayed shipments once the storm passed. It was not evacuating other oil platforms or shutting down production as the worst of the bad weather had passed.[7] Eight helicopters and four rescue boats were sent out by the Mexican navy in search for survivors. Exploration and Production Chief Carlos Morales said that this is the worst accident in Pemex history. Because of the bad weather three of Mexico's top oil exporting ports in the crude-rich Golf of Mexico had to be shut down for another day in a row, thus suspending shipments of oil to the U.S. The officials said that no sooner than Thursday will they reopen it.[24] Mexico's Environment Secretary Juan Rafael Elvira said it was too soon to evaluate the environmental damage from the accident or to estimate the amount of oil spill and gas leak. President Felipe Calderon, who cancelled his official schedule to travel to the region to meet survivors in the hospital and oversee rescue efforts, has expressed his condolences to the families of the workers killed in the accident. The accident is the worst to befall the oil giant at sea since November 1998, when two of the company's helicopters collided mid-air off the Campeche coast, killing all 22 people on board both aircraft.[25] MEXICO CITY (Thomson Financial) - The death toll from a Gulf of Mexico oil rig accident rose to 19 last night after authorities found another body two days after workers hurled themselves into the sea to escape a gas leak.[26] Workers on the rig, in the Kab oil field in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, jumped onto emergency rafts after the collision caused leaks in crude oil and natural gas pipes.[27] The stormy weather caused an offshore oil platform to keel over and collide with an adjacent rig, setting off leaks of oil and natural gas. At least 19 out of 86 oil workers who jumped into life rafts in churning seas died as one raft broke up and rescuers took hours to reach them.[28] State oil monopoly Pemex said 81 workers jumped from one platform into life rafts after rough seas caused a gas and oil leak. About 75 of them had been located but could not be reached, and the others were lost.[10] Rescuers pulled 58 oil workers from storm-tossed waters but have yet to control the oil leak, Mexico's oil monopoly Pemex said. At least 18 employees are still either floating at sea in life rafts or unaccounted for, it said.[13] Mexico's state oil company, Pemex, says 61 people were rescued from life rafts but several are still missing at sea. Pemex said it would take several days to control the leaks but they were not as bad as originally feared.[15] A spokeswoman with Mexico's state-owned oil company Pemex says at least 26 employees are still either adrift at sea in life rafts or are unaccounted for. Pemex had located two rafts, but strong winds kept its helicopters from reaching them. The Pemex spokeswoman says she's unable to confirm unofficial reports that two people had died.[11] There were wind gusts of up to 130km/h (80mph) and waves of up to eight metres (26ft) at the time of the collision, Mexico's state oil company, Pemex, said. Most of the victims drowned when their rafts were swamped in high seas. One survivor told Mexico's Televisa network that they only abandoned the platform after the leaking gas became unbearable and they had no air left in their emergency breathing devices.[21] Two more survivors of Tuesday's collision have been found, as well as another body, bringing the death toll in the mishap to 19, Mexico's state oil company said. Most of the victims drowned after they had abandoned the rig and their life rafts were swamped by high seas. Television footage showed the shattered remains of one orange life boat on a Gulf coast beach, its hard fiberglass shell ripped apart. The failure of the life boats provoked a scandal in Mexico, and legislators called for an investigation into whether they were supplied by a company purportedly linked to the family of former President Vicente Fox's wife, Marta Sahagun. It was unclear whether the boats were defective or had been supplied by the company in question, Oceanografia.[8] The accident, which resulted in an oil spill in the Gulf, had occurred 32 km off the port of Dos Bocas in the southwestern state of Tabasco. The company said its personnel and the Mexican navy were continuing a search operation for four missing workers, who were among the 86 working on the rig at the time of the accident.[25] The company said in a statement that high seas and winds up to 130 km an hour were apparently the cause of Wednesday's collision between the Kab 101 light-production rig and the Usumacinta drilling platform, 32 km off the port of Dos Bocas in the southwestern state of Tabasco, Spanish news agency EFE reported.[20] Pemex chief Jesus Reyes-Heroles told a senate panel Thursday that high seas and strong winds of up to 130 kmph had apparently caused the collision between the Kab 101 light-production rig and the Usumacinta drilling platform, Spanish news agency EFE reported Friday. He admitted that the state run firm had problems with maintenance and that there were safety lapses.[25] State-owned oil monopoly Pemex said 61 people had been rescued after huge waves knocked the Usumacinta drilling platform into an adjacent rig late on Tuesday.[7] State-owned oil monopoly Pemex said exports would not be hit as it would reschedule the delayed shipments once the storm passed. It was not evacuating oil platforms or shutting down production as the worst of the bad weather was over.[2] Port officials say it is unlikely ports will re-open before Thursday. Pemex said U.S. consumers of its oil supplies should not suffer as it will reschedule the delayed shipments once the storm passes. It did not evacuate any other oil platforms or shut down production as the worst of the bad weather is seen to have passed.[27] The Pacific coast port of Salina Cruz, from which Pemex ships roughly 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil to the U.S. west coast and to Asia, was also closed on Wednesday due to high winds. Pemex, which has exported an average of 1.708 million bpd this year, often has to deal with rerouting or rescheduling oil shipments to avoid storms and hurricanes on Mexico's coast. In August, Pemex evacuated 18,000 workers from its platforms and shut operations as Hurricane Dean rampaged through the Gulf of Mexico.[7] Mexico City - At least 18 Mexican oil workers died and seven more were missing Wednesday after strong winds led to a crash between two oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, authorities said.[29] AT least 10 people died after two oil platforms crashed into each other in high winds in the Gulf of Mexico, causing a gas leak that forced the evacuation of all workers in the area.[30] At least 18 people were killed and seven went missing late Tuesday night when an oil drilling platform hit a rig, in the Gulf of Mexico.[24] MEXICO CITY -- Rescuers have found two more survivors of a collision between a drilling rig and oil platform in stormy Gulf of Mexico seas as well as another body, bringing the death toll to 19.[23] Rescuers have retrieved 58 of the 86 workers who evacuated from a drilling rig and a floating platform about 75 kilometers off the shore from Ciudad del Carmen in Campeche state, said Carlos Ramirez, a spokesman in Mexico City for the company.[4] "Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) announces the death of 10 workers. on board the Usumacinta platform,'' the company said. It said 58 of 81 Pemex employees and contract workers on the oil rig had been rescued, including five sailors taking part in the rescue operation.[30] Mexico's oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, said that 61 out of 86 workers from the Usumacinta oil rig were saved.[24] Rescuers have pulled 61 oil workers to safety from storm-tossed waters but have yet to control the oil leak, Mexico's oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, said in a news release.[5] The company says rescuers have pulled 58 oil workers from the stormy waters, but still haven't controlled the leak. It says at least 18 Pemex employees are still either floating in life rafts or are unaccounted for.[31] Pemex said that it will take three to five days to seal the leak of natural gas and oil. Out of the 18 workers who died four were Pemex employees, seven of them were employees of the subcontractor company, one was a rescue boat crew member and six of them worked for other companies. Among them was one woman.[24] The accident caps a grim month in which Pemex already lost a contracted worker when a boat caught fire and sank and three other employees in a pipeline explosion in Veracruz state. They have put fresh pressure on Pemex as it struggles to maintain stagnating production levels and cope with threats from a Marxist guerrilla group that has twice bombed oil and natural gas pipelines in an anti-government campaign.[6] The collision caused a rupture that forced an evacuation, and prompted desperate workers to plunge into the water in an effort to flee the escaping gas, said an official with Mexico's state-run Pemex oil company. 'It was a moment of panic,' said the Pemex official, who spoke to Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity.[26] "The weather has not helped," Pemex chief executive Jesus Reyes Heroles told Mexican television. He said the damaged platform, 20 miles (32 km) from the port of Dos Bocas, was minor in terms of output. Mexico is a top three supplier of oil to the United States, which takes around 80 percent of its southern neighbor's oil exports.[7] The weather has not helped," Reyes Heroles told Mexican television. He described the damaged platform, 20 miles (32 km) from the port of Dos Bocas, as minor in terms of production but said mostly natural gas was still leaking from its well.[10] The accident occurred about 20 miles offshore from the port of Dos Bocas and caused gas and oil to spill into the Gulf of Mexico.[32] The collision 20 miles offshore from the Mexican port of Dos Bocas in the state of Tabasco caused an oil and gas spill.[11] The accident occurred about 20 miles offshore from the port of Dos Bocas in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.[13] Yesterday's accident during 25-foot waves and winds gusting to 80 mph happened about 20 miles off the port of Dos Bocas -- in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.[33] The Gulf of Mexico oil ports of Dos Bocas, Cayo Arcas and Coatzacoalcos were shut on Tuesday as a cold front whipped up waves and high winds, but reopened by Thursday afternoon.[28] The government said most of Mexico's Gulf coast ports were closed, including the oil ports of Coatzacoalcos, Dos Bocas and Cayo Arcas. Mexico is a top three supplier of crude oil to the United States, which takes around 80 percent of its southern neighbor's oil exports.[10] The bad weather shut Mexico's top three oil exporting ports in the crude-rich Gulf of Mexico for a second day, suspending most of the country's oil shipments to the United States. Port officials saw it unlikely they would reopen before Thursday.[2] The bad weather forced the Mexican authorities to close the main oil exporting ports in the Gulf of Mexico.[15] Bad weather had brought stormy seas and high winds which shutdown Mexicos top three oil producers in the Gulf since Tuesday.[32] The company said it will open an investigation into why the platform, which is fixed to the sea bed and should have withstood gale-force winds, sloped. Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Thursday changed his agenda and traveled to the accident's site in the state of Campeche to supervise the rescue efforts and visited some of the survivors. He blamed the bad weather as the "fundamental" cause of the accident, but saying he has ordered a "most exhaustive investigation."[18] The company said it was not evacuating oil platforms or shutting down production as the worst of the bad weather was over last night.[14] The company said the marine drilling platform Usumacinta collided with platform Kab 101 Tuesday, causing a leak of oil and gas.[29] During a heavy storm on Tuesday night, the Usumacinta drilling platform collided with an adjacent platform, setting off crude oil and natural gas leaks.[15] The reports said due to strong winds, the Usumacinta drilling platform hit an adjacent platform leading to the leakage of crude oil and natural gas.[19] The search continues for Pemex workers after waves knocked the Usumacinta drilling platform into a neighbouring rig late on Tuesday.[27] The company says more than 80 workers abandoned a subcontractor's Usumacinta platform after it hit the Kab 101 light-production rig during 25-foot waves.[9] The workers killed included four employees of Petroleos Mexicanos, known as Pemex; seven employees of the subcontractor company that operated the rig; at least one rescue boat crew member; and six others who worked for other companies, the company said.[23] Ten workers were killed and at least 18 other employees of the state oil company were still either floating at sea in life rafts or were unaccounted for, it said.[34] "The spill of crude oil into the sea has been less than originally thought," the company said. It was unclear whether the missing workers were in the sea or in life rafts.[22] One life raft was missing and some workers could have fallen into the sea as 80 mph (130 kph) winds lashed the platform, Pemex's chief executive Jesus Reyes Heroles said late on Tuesday night. He said he heard an unconfirmed report that two workers had died. "We are still working to verify how many are in the (lost) life raft and to rescue those who were in the water.[10] Reyes Heroles said 63 workers have been rescued, some after treading water for hours. It was unclear whether the missing workers were floating at sea or in life rafts.[8] Thank God I get a second chance." Another survivor, Eder Ortega Flores, 25, told Televisa that workers abandoned the rig and braved the raging seas only after fumes from leaking gas reached unbearable levels and air from emergency breathing devices ran out. Flores said the force of the waves broke apart his covered life raft and "all my co-workers went into the sea." He was able to swim to shore early Wednesday after treading water through the night.[8] Once in the water, the waves battered the workers' orange-colored, covered life rafts. "The life rafts didn't hold up under the force of the waves," he said. "They broke up, at least the one I was on, little by little, until the raft sank, and all my co-workers went into the sea." Ortega Flores lost sight of them, and tread water through the night, until he saw the shoreline early Wednesday and swam to it.[5] Mexico's oil monopoly says at least 18 workers were still either floating at sea in life rafts or were unaccounted for.[9] "We knew the conditions at sea were bad but there was no other choice," Eder Ortega Flores said. Workers jumped into life rafts but it was only after several hours that rescue crews in helicopters and boats were able to reach them. They were not expected to re-open before Thursday.[15] Eighteen workers were killed and at least seven other workers were still either floating at sea in life rafts or were unaccounted for, it said.[35]  A storm has killed 18 Mexican oil workers fleeing a battered offshore rig even as search continued for seven missing people. [27] At least 18 Mexican oil workers are now dead after an accident at an offshore oil drilling facility Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico.[3] About 82 percent of Pemex's oil production comes from offshore reserves in the Gulf, company spokeswoman Martha Avelar said. The impact of this week's accident on Mexico's total crude- oil production isn't "worrying,'' Kessel told reporters in Mexico City after participating in a chemicals industry conference today.[17] Mexico City, Oct 26 : The toll in an offshore oilrig collision Wednesday in the southern Gulf of Mexico has risen to 19, owner of the oil field state-run Pemex said.[25] The storm forced Mexico's main oil ports to close. They remained closed Wednesday morning, Pemex said. Avelar said she did not know if the gas and oil leak was continuing Wednesday.[1] Pemex said a work crew was at the scene on Thursday evaluating ways to stop the leak at the platform, which the company said was mainly gas and some crude oil, without giving exact estimates.[8] The accident caused a leak of oil into the sea which Pemex said it would take three to five days to control, but said that it mainly involved gas.[29] The accident also created an oil and gas leak that may not be contained for three to five days, PEMEX said.[36] Pemex says rescuers have pulled at least 58 workers from storm-tossed waters, but have yet to control the oil leak from yesterday's accident.[9] "From the chief executive to the last worker, Pemex is in mourning," said Jesus Reyes Heroles, who heads the state-owned oil monopoly Pemex. He said there would be an investigation into the accident.[37] State-owned oil monopoly Pemex said it would open an investigation into why the platform, which is fixed to the sea bed and should withstand gale-force winds, had tilted over.[6] Pemex, Mexicos state-owned petroleum company was not clear how much gas and oil has spilled.[32] Witnesses said that in only a few hours on the Pemex rig, the Mexican state-owned oil company, an incident worthy of a film on catastrophes occurred.[38] Sixty-one people have been rescued so far, Pemex, the state-owned oil company said.[27] Four are still missing, the director of the state-owned oil company said Thursday.[23] Mexico's environment secretary, Juan Rafael Elvira, said it was too soon to evaluate the environment damage from the accident or to estimate the amount of oil and gas that spilled into the Gulf but the company said it was trying to 'contain the zone of the spill'.[20] The accident sent oil and natural gas spilling into the Gulf, and forced the closure of Mexico's main oil ports.[3] The accident happened in the Campeche Sound, Mexico's largest oil and natural gas field, with wind speeds of up to 130 kilometres per hour and 6 to 8-metre-high waves.[29] Pemex said there were wind gusts of up to 130km/h (80mph) and waves of up to eight metres (26ft) at the time of the collision. One survivor told Mexico's Televisa network that they only abandoned the rig after the leaking gas became unbearable and they had no air left in their emergency breathing devices.[15] One of the survivors reportedly described the incident to Televisa, Mexico's news channel. According to him almost 25-foot waves hit the rig and the platform that spilled the gas. The supply of air from their emergency devices also ran out.[19] The force of the waves caused of the rig's "legs" to hit the valve assembly of the platform, causing it to leak oil and gas.[5] Waves as high as 8 meters knocked the rig and platform together, damaging a drilling mechanism and pipes and causing fuel and oil spills, Pemex has previously stated in a release.[4] The accident occurred late Tuesday when an oil drilling rig crashed into a platform amid high winds and rough waters in Campeche sound.[26] Usumacinta is a 25-year-old drilling rig with extendable legs that enables it to drill in seas up to 200 feet deep, according to Rigzone, a Houston-based company that compiles data on the offshore oil industry.[4] The accident on the Usumacinta oil rig left 19 dead, including two women, while 63 workers were rescued alive. Four others remain missing but authorities said they still hope to find more survivors.[26] Survivors recovering in hospital said some of the rig workers could not swim. Mexico is a top three oil supplier to the United States, which takes around 80 percent of its neighbor's oil exports.[28] The company said it would take up to five days to seal the leaking oil and gas and said the extent of the crude spill was less than previously thought. Mexico is a top three supplier of oil to the United States, which takes around 80 percent of its southern neighbour's oil exports.[37] The impact on production at the company will be "relatively low,'' Energy Minister Georgina Kessel said in Mexico City, without providing details. She also serves as chairwoman of the government-owned company known as Pemex. "I have also thanked and asked the armed services to continue their search efforts for the four people that are still missing,'' Mexican President Felipe Calderon said today after visiting the victims and their families in Campeche state, according to a e-mailed transcript of his speech.[17] The search continued for the four missing workers. Reyes Heroles did not give details on the conditions of the two latest survivors or exactly when they were found. President Felipe Calderon rearranged his schedule Thursday to visit with survivors recovering in a Pemex hospital in the Gulf coast state of Campeche. He issued a statement expressing his "most sincere condolences and solidarity in this moment of pain" to the victims' families and offering them any help the government could provide.[23] Rescuers have retrieved 61 of the 86 workers evacuated from the platform located 46.6 miles (75 kilometers) off the shore from Ciudad del Carmen in Campeche state, the company, known as Pemex, said in a statement.[39] The company announced that 61 of 86 workers have been rescued from the platform that is located around 47 miles off the shore from Ciudad del Carmen in Campeche state, reports Bloomberg.[19] After 3:35 p.m., the workers evacuated the platform, which Pemex leases from a contractor, the company said. It's the third time employees have been evacuated in 10 days from Pemex facilities.[39] Pemex workers visited the site of the accident today to assess the leaks, the company said in an e-mail statement.[17] Pemex said oil company technicians were working to repair the damaged valve and stop the leak of oil into the Gulf and added that it was trying to "contain the zone of the spill".[25] PEMEX has been using RADARSAT data provided by MDA since 2001. Through its work with MDA the company has established a maritime monitoring program in the Gulf of Mexico to increase its environmental performance with regards to oil spill prevention and response, as well as to develop a deeper understanding of the behaviour of natural oil seeps in support of its exploration activities.[40] RICHMOND, BC, Oct. 24 /CNW/ - MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA), a provider of essential information solutions, announced today that it has entered into a 5-year multi-million dollar contract with Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) for the continued monitoring of natural oil seeps and oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico using RADARSAT satellite data.[40] PEMEX has established a maritime monitoring program in the Gulf of Mexico to increase its environmental performance with regards to oil spill prevention and response and to develop a deeper understanding of the behavior of natural oil seeps in support of its exploration activities.[41] The ports, including three used by Pemex to transport oil, will remain shut until at least Thursday, Munoz said. Smaller ships have been docked at all Mexican ports in the gulf, he said. It's the third time employees have been evacuated in 10 days from Pemex facilities.[4] Weather conditions were calmer on Thursday and Mexico's three biggest oil ports -- Coatzacoalcos, Dos Bocas and Cayo Arcas ports -- reopened after being shut for two days.[42] Most of Mexico's crude is shipped from the Gulf ports of Dos Bocas, Cayo Arcas and Coatzacoalcos, which were closed on Tuesday morning as a severe cold front brought stormy seas and high winds.[2] The storm brought waves as high as 26 feet (8 meters) and wind gusts of 81 miles (130 kilometers) per hour, forcing the shutdown of all of Mexico's ports on the Gulf.[17] Eight Mexican ports on the Gulf were closed to commercial traffic yesterday after the storm produced gusts of 81 miles (130 kilometers) per hour, said Martin Munoz, of Mexico's meteorological service.[39] After the incident, the Mexican authorities declared a shutdown of all the ports in the Gulf of Mexico.[19] Main oil ports of Mexico were forced to close until Wednesday due to bad weather. [12] The bad weather obliged the closing of three main embarkation ports for Mexican crude oil, paralysing export headed for the United States.[38] Petroleos Mexicanos director Jesus Reyes Heroles told Mexican senators there would be an investigation of the wreck 20 miles off the coast of Tabasco state during stormy weather that generated 80 mph winds and 25-foot waves.[8] Petroleos Mexicanos director Jesus Reyes Heroles told Mexican senators there would be an investigation of the tragedy, which occurred Tuesday during stormy weather that generated winds up to 80 mph (130 kph) and whipped up 25-foot (8-meter) waves.[23] Rescuers have retrieved 63 of the 86 employees from the site of the Oct. 23 accident, about 47 miles (75 kilometers) from Ciudad del Carmen in Mexico's Campeche state, Petroleos Mexicanos Chief Executive Officer Jesus Reyes Heroles said today. [17] The platform where the accident occurred is 20 miles from the port of Dos Bocas, state of Tabasco.[24] The mishap occurred about 20 miles (32 kilometers) offshore from the port of Dos Bocas in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.[34] 81 workers and five rescue staff abandoned the drilling rig in stormy weather that generated waves of up to eight meters high and winds of 130 km per hour. [18] Some of the fleeing workers were believed to have fallen into the sea, drowning in the huge waves as 80 mph (130 kph) winds lashed the platform.[7] "Due to wind gusts of up to 130km/h and waves of 6m-8m. the Usumacinta drilling platform struck the valve train of Kab-101 platform,'' Pemex said.[30] The storm damaged a drilling mechanism that led to an oil and fuel leak about noon yesterday, Pemex said.[39] Pemex said the gas and oil leak was continuing Wednesday but that it was not immediately clear how much had spilled.[34] Pemex estimated that it would take three or five days to control the leak, but saying most of the leaked was gas and the spill of crude oil has been less than the previous estimation.[18] Pemex has said it would take three to five days to control the leak of mainly gas and some oil.[23] Pemex said it would take several days to control the leaks but that the spill of crude oil was less than originally thought.[21] Pemex said it would take three to five days to control the leak caused by Tuesday's accident but noted that it mainly involved gas.[22] Pemex said it would reschedule the delayed shipments once the storm passed and that American oil buyers would not be hurt by the accident.[32] Pemex's chief for exploration and production, Carlos Morales, called the accident one of the worst in the company's history. Pemex has said U.S. buyers of its oil should not be hurt as it would reschedule delayed shipments once the storm passed.[37] Pemex said that it was not evacuating oil platforms or shutting down production as the worst part of the storm had already passed.[32] Pemex could not say how much oil had leaked into the sea but the platform normally produces 3,500 barrels per day.[6] A Pemex spokesperson said the fact some shipments were delayed by a few days would not affect Mexico's monthly oil export levels.[28] Pemex is one of the world's largest oil companies and has been responsible for making Mexico the fifth largest oil-exporting nation.[25] Navy rescue teams continued on Friday to search the sea and nearby beaches for four more missing oil workers. [28] No details of how the workers were rescued, from the sea or the oil rig itself, were provided.[16] After 3:35 p.m., the workers evacuated from the Kab- 101 platform and the Usumacinta rig, which Pemex leases from Compania Perforadora La Central, Morales said.[4] Four of the dead workers were employed by Pemex, seven worked for the platform owner Compania Perforadora La Central and five for two other contractors, Pemex said.[17] Six Pemex helicopters, two Mexican Navy helicopters and four ships have joined the rescue operation, said Morales. Some of the workers may have left their lifeboats, and their emergency communication equipment doesn't have adequate range to reach rescuers, according to Morales.[4] The Mexican navy also helped by sending out eight helicopters and four boats for the rescue effort. It is not clear how much was spilled, but Pemex said that the leak continues Wednesday.[12] The company said it had located a raft but "weather conditions in the area have made it impossible to reach the vessel." It added that the Mexican navy had sent eight helicopters and four boats to help in the rescue effort.[34] Attempts on Wednesday by rescue crews in helicopters and rescue boats to reach life rafts were thwarted by six metre-high waves.[27] On the Usumacinta there were 61 people who, when violent waves began to pull up the anchors, abandoned the rig using inflatable life rafts. The stormy sea reaped its victims in any case: 18 bodies have been found so far and 7 people are missing.[38] Survivors told harrowing tales of jumping into life rafts in 80 mph (130 kph) winds after the collision caused crude oil and natural gas to spurt from damaged pipes.[6] While the oil leak was now plugged, it could take up to five days to seal the natural gas leak.[6] The huge waves generated during the storm spilled gas and oil in to the ocean, which would take several days to control.[19] One survivor, Eder Ortega Flores, 25, told the Televisa television network that workers abandoned the rig amid 25-foot waves only after leaking gas rose to unbearable levels and the supply of air from emergency breathing devices ran out.[5] More than 60 survivors were rescued, some after hours in the water, but the search is continuing for four workers missing since the accident on Tuesday.[21] A boat caught fire Oct. 11, killing one worker, and a cleanup boat hired by Pemex capsized Oct. 22, leaving one person missing.[39] The search continued for the seven missing workers. All those rescued were "out of danger," according to Pemex. President Felipe Calderon issued a statement expressing his "most sincere condolences and solidarity in this moment of pain" to the victims' families and offering them any help the government could provide.[5] "From the chief executive to the last worker, Pemex is in mourning," Pemex chief executive Jesus Reyes Heroles said.[6] Over 80 workers had to abandon which suspended most of the countrys oil shipments to the United States.[32] The death toll could rise as bad weather hampered efforts by Navy rescue teams to locate other workers.[7] The bad weather has been thwarting rescue workers for hours and the death count could rise.[24] The death toll could rise as bad weather continues to hamper efforts by navy rescue teams to locate other workers.[27] Javier Delgado, a Pemex spokesman in the Gulf coast city of Ciudad del Carmen, said the death toll had risen by mid-morning to four, from the initial two, as improving weather conditions aided rescue teams searching in two helicopters. [2] The rescue effort was hindered by "extreme weather conditions that we've never registered before", Carlos Morales, director of Pemex's exploration and production unit, said in an interview with Mexico's Radio Formula.[4] A Mexico state-owned drilling platform slammed into an oilrig killing at least 10 people and leaving 18 people unaccounted for. [32] The state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) said 61 people have been rescued.[29] Pemex did not say what had happened to the other people unaccounted for, but there were eight helicopters and four ships from the Mexican navy searching the area for survivors.[30] "We knew the sea conditions were adverse, but we left because we had no choice," oilman Eder Ortega told Mexican radio, describing how one emergency raft started to sink. "It was breaking up little by little until the raft finally went under and all my colleagues ended up in the water." Another survivor, Allende Alcudia, said his father, who worked with him on the platform, drowned after slipping away from his grasp as they clung together in the rolling sea.[6] The accident occurred amid high winds and heavy seas when an oil-drilling rig hit a platform.[16] The accident occurred late on Tuesday amid high winds and heavy seas when the two platforms crashed into each other.[30] There were 81 workers on the platforms - some were evacuated in boats and others jumped into the sea in an attempt to get away from the scene. [29] More than 60 workers were rescued from the platform, and seven are still missing.[36] Winds were gusting to 80 mph. Five rescue workers are among those missing. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.[9] "Rescue operations continue in search of seven workers unaccounted for," the company added.[16] According to the company, the storm blew at 80mph and the waves rose up to 26 feet in the Gulf of Mexico during the incident on Tuesday night. [19] A severe cold front had brought stormy seas and high winds to the Gulf of Mexico.[14] Mexico's oil ports were all open on Friday and ships were leaving as normal.[28] The reopening of ports on Thursday should limit the impact of the delayed oil shipments on U.S. buyers, Pemex said.[6] The Usumacinta drilling rig is owned by the Compania Perforadora Central S.A. de C.V, and operates under contract to Pemex.[1] The Usumacinta, a mobile, self-raising drilling rig, was set up next to the production platform Kab 101, preparing to drill a well close to the platform.[34] The pipes burst and gas and crude oil leaked out of the KAB oil and gas field rig.[38] More than two dozen others were still believed to be in lifeboats -- or unaccounted for --after the accident that spilled oil and gas into the Gulf.[33] Oil spill teams were heading to the accident area to stem the gas leak and clean up any oil spill, officials said.[16] The state-owned oil company also sent repair teams to the site and planned to send more when the weather improved. [14] A life raft was detected but unfavorable weather in the area made it possible for the rescuers to reach it, the company said.[12] Mexican media voiced concern about the quality of the life rafts, one of which was smashed apart by the waves and washed up on a beach.[28] The fleeing workers were tossed about in emergency rafts and battled waves up to six metres high.[37] The force of the waves caused one of the rig's legs to hit the platform's valve assembly.[43] Pemex reported wind gusts of up to 130 kilometres per hour and waves of six to eight metres at the time of the accident.[16] Tuesday's tragedy is considered Pemex's worst accident since November of 1998, when two Pemex helicopters crashed at high seas, killing 22 crew members.[18] Carlos Morales, Pemex exploration and production chief, called the accident one of the worst in the company's history.[27] According to Carlos Morales, the head of exploration and drilling for Pemex, it is the worst incident ever in the company's history.[38] The company is the sole supplier of all commercial gasoline stations in Mexico. Port officials say that it is unlikely they will reopen on Thursday. [32] All of Mexico's commercial ports had reopened as of 5 p.m., according to a weather bulletin from Mexico's National Meteorological Service for the Merchant Marine.[17] Kessel called the collision a "lamentable accident'' and said officials need to ensure the company's platforms are operating under international safety standards. Calderon said the government will pay an unspecified indemnity to employees and contractors for injuries or to the families of those killed. [17] SOURCES 1. SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Mexico -- 55 oil workers rescued, more stranded in Gulf of Mexico after platform collision 2. Storm kills 4 Mexican oil workers, shuts ports | World | Reuters 3. VOA News - Storm Kills at Least 18 Mexican Oil Workers 4. Mercopress 5. The Associated Press: Mexico Oil Rig Accident Kills 18 6. Mexico scours sea for oil rig accident survivors | Reuters 7. Storm kills 18 Mexican oil workers, shuts ports | Reuters 8. Rescuers comb Gulf for oil rig survivors - USATODAY.com 9. Oil workers die in Gulf accident off Mexico - KGPE - CBS TV47 10. Storm strands Mexico oil workers at sea, ports shut | Reuters 11. KSWO, Lawton, OK- Wichita Falls, TX: News, Weather, Sports. ABC, 24/7, Telemundo - 55 oil workers rescued, more stranded in Gulf after platform crash 12. Mexico's Oil Rig Accident Kills 10, 18 Missing | October 26, 2007 | AHN 13. The Press Association: 10 killed in Mexico rig accident 14. The Scotsman - International - Ten die after Mexican oilrig hit 15. BBC NEWS | Americas | Mexican oil rig accident kills 18 16. 18 killed in Mexican oil rig accident - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) 17. Bloomberg.com: Latin America 18. Death toll rises to 19 in Mexican oil rig collision 19. Stormy Winds Kill At Least 18 Workers On A Mexican Oil Rig; Major Exporting Ports Closed | October 26, 2007 | AHN 20. At least 10 killed in Mexico oil rig collision : America World 21. BBC NEWS | Americas | Mexico probes fatal oil rig crash 22. 18 killed after accident in Mexico's Gulf oil fields 23. Death toll in Gulf oil rig up to 19, two more survivors found, 4 missing North County Times - Nation / World - 24. 18 Mexican Oil Workers Killed in a Storm 25. Mexico oilrig accident toll rises to 19 @ NewKerala.Com News Channel 26. Gulf of Mexico oil rig accident death toll rises to 19 - Forbes.com 27. Al Jazeera English - News - Oil Workers Killed In Mexico Storm 28. UPDATE 1-Mexico oil shipments resume after storm accident | Markets | Reuters 29. Bangkok's Independent Newspaper 30. Oil rigs collide, 10 dead | NEWS.com.au 31. KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA | At least 10 Mexican oil workers killed 32. Mexico oilrig accident causes oil spill in Gulf 33. Some oil workers reported dead after accident in Gulf 34. 10 oil workers killed, more missing in Gulf of Mexico rig accident - International Herald Tribune 35. Winston-Salem Journal | 18 workers killed when oil rig is hit off Mexico 36. Resource Investor - Blog - At least 18 PEMEX workers killed in Gulf rig accident 37. IOL: Mexico scours seas for missing oil workers 38. AGI News On - MEXICO: STORM HITS OIL RIG 39. Bloomberg.com: Latin America 40. CNW Telbec | MACDONALD, DETTWILER AND ASSOCIATES LTD. | MDA Signs 5-year Contract with PEMEX for Surface Oil Monitoring in Gulf of Mexico 41. RTTNews - Breaking News, financial breaking News, Positive EPS Surprises, Stock research . 42. UPDATE 5-Mexico scours sea for oil rig accident survivors | Reuters 43. Star-Telegram.com | 10/25/2007 | Offshore accident kills 10 oil workers |
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