RIO DE JANEIRO, April 23 (NNN-AGENCIA BRASIL) — At least 14 people were injured when a fire broke out on Petrobras’ Platform PCH-1 (Cherne 1) in the Campos Basin, off the coast of Macaé, Rio de Janeiro. One worker was initially reported injured after falling into the sea, but the company later admitted that 13 others had also been affected. The rescued worker is stable, and the others are receiving medical care.
The platform, which has been inactive since 2020, had 176 workers onboard at the time of the incident. Gas flow and communications were disrupted, prompting emergency response efforts. Sindipetro-NF, the oil workers’ union, has called for urgent action. Petrobras assured that a commission will investigate the cause of the fire.
Petrobras released a statement informing that 13 more workers were injured after the fire on Platform PCH-1 (Cherne 1), in the Campos Basin, about 130 kilometers off the coast of Macaé, in Rio de Janeiro.
“The worker rescued at sea is in hospital on land, conscious and stable. Another 13 workers who provide services for the company were classified as injured and are also receiving care at a hospital in the region,” the company said.
According to Sergio Borges Cordeiro, general coordinator of the Northern Fluminense Oil Workers’ Union (Sindipetro-NF) and director of the Single Federation of Oil Workers (FUP), 176 workers were on board the platform.
“The gas flow was interrupted, the platform’s communications went down, and emergency boats were called in. Sindipetro-NF is following the case and demands urgent action,” Cordeiro wrote on social media.
Petrobras said that the other people on the platform were fine and that “a commission will be formed to investigate the causes of the incident”.
According to the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), oil exploration and production activities in the country recorded 731 accidents last year, with 183 people injured, 78 of them seriously, and one death. — NNN-AGENCIA BRASIL