Incident Report

Subject:                     Pemex evacuates personnel as Jupiter Flotel Sinks in the Gulf of Mexico

Date of Email report:   Fri 15/04/2011

Report Detail:


State run Pemex has evacuated staff from the Jupiter Flotel, a semisubmersible living quarters platform located in theMexican waters of the gulf of Mexico. The Jupiter Flotel began listing heavily and is now sinking. At a little past 7:30 on the morning of April 12, an incident occurred with the valve that controls the floating pontoon of the semisubmersible, which is owned by Cotemar SA, a Pemex contractor.  As an emergency precaution, 638 Pemex employees and contractors, the majority of the personnel aboard the flotel, were evacuated to the nearby Abkatun-A facility.

Another 75 essential personnel remained on the Jupiter to attend to the emergency situation.  Measures to correct the problem were insufficient, and all personnel were eventually evacuated from the Jupiter.  Divers were engaged to help with the problem, but falling equipment from the deck of the facility prevented their efforts, and those personnel have been pulled from the water, as well.  No one has been injured, and the entire staff is safe. Despite efforts to save the platform, the Jupiter has begun to sink. With the water depth at 50 meters and the height of the semisub at 38 meters, the platform is expected to sink 13 meters below the water’s surface.  Four ships with heavy-lift cranes and seven barges have been mobilized to the site. Pemex is currently analyzing solutions to recover the platform and equipment, and investigations have begun into the cause of the accident.

Additional Documentation:


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Jupiter floatel sinking off Mexico

Source: http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article252187.ece

The semi-submersible residential platform Jupiter from Mexico's state-owned oil company Pemex is seen almost submerged in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Ciudad del Carmen April 12, 2011. According to a Pemex statement, the platform started to lean over after a mechanical incident on one of the pontoons. 638 of 713 people onboard were evacuated and no injuries have been reported. REUTERS/Stringer (MEXICO - Tags: ENERGY BUSINESS)

The Jupiter accommodation platform in the Gulf of Mexico has partially sunk after listing heavily on Tuesday, operator Pemex said.

“After several attempts to rescue the platform failed, it partially sank at 14:30 (local time),” said Pemex in a statement.

“No one is injured, the entire staff is safe.”

Water depth in the area is 38 meters, and given the dimensions of the semi-submersible platform, which is 50 meters wide, the partially sunk floatel remains 13 metres above water levels.

An incident onboard the floatel was first reported at 7:39am yesterday morning when 638 personnel were immediately evacuated to the nearby Abkatun-Alfa platform. It is believed that a valve problem caused the unit to take in water.

“According to procedures, we applied the emergency response plan of the system and the majority of staff onboard were immediately evacuated,” said Pemex.

“Seventy five crew members remained to meet the contingency.”

Specialised divers attempted to review water entry into the vessel and seal the pontoon, but the work had to be suspended for the safety of the divers, said Pemex.

“Bilge pumps from the installation were insufficient to counteract the ingress of water so we proceeded to complete evacuation at 13:30,” said the operator.

The floatel, which is owned by Cotemar and managed by PEP, has 2075 barrels of diesel stored in the pontoons and 82 barrels of jet fuel stored in containers on the deck.

“There is no evidence of leakage,” said Pemex. " We will continure to monitor the area to detect the presence of any spill around the platform."

The company said it now plans to start investigations into the cause of the incident and review salvage options for the platform.