Pemex oil tanker on fire off coast of eastern Mexico

An oil tanker transporting fuel for Mexican oil company, Pemex, caught fire on Saturday off the coast of the eastern state of Veracruz, although no casualties have been reported.

Pemex broke the news on its official Twitter account, saying the ship named Burgos was off the town of Boca del Rio, near the port of Veracruz in the Gulf of Mexico.

The ship was located around 9.5 km off the coast at 11:30 a.m. local time when an explosion took place starting the fire and sending a column of black smoke high into the sky, according to Veracruz' port authority.

The ship was sailing to the port of Coatzacoalcos at the time of the explosion but its 31 crewmembers have been safely evacuated by Pemex, with no injuries reported.

"There is no risk for the population or facilities close to the incident," added Pemex on Twitter.

According to Mexican daily El Universal, Pemex specialists are on board to ensure that the thousands of barrels of diesel and gasoline being transported will not pose an environmental risk. Operations could last up to 48 hours with the ship either set to be towed into port or the fuel transferred to another vessel.

Source : XINHUA