Work to extinguish a blaze at a Bahrain oil well is set to begin on Saturday.
The fire, which was the result of an accident, occurred when a truck reversed in to the well while carrying out regular maintenance work – causing a major gas leak. The pressure of the leak, and the increasing temperatures made the fire unapproachable, and difficult to extinguish straight away.
Assisting state-owned Bahrain Petroleum Company’s (Bapco) emergency response team, along with civil defence and National Guard teams, US based specialist fire fighting services, Wild Well Control have also been called in to the country to help contain and put out the inferno at Well 380, the country’s only onshore field.
“The well will be capped and filled with substances to stop the leak, then rehabilitation work will be carried on the well,” said a Bapco spokesman.
Equipment and further resources needed to control and eventually put out the fire, supplied by Wild Well Control are to be delivered via road from Abu Dhabi, in the UAE to Bahrain later on today.
Output from the onshore 35 000 barrels per day (bpd) Awali field was unaffected by the blaze, and no injuries were incurred. However, according to the spokesman, “the estimated cost of the damage or losses to Bapco, may come to around US $10 000 a day.”
As the fire continues to burn on the 20 bpd capacity oil well, Bapco does not expect any significant loss or damage to its production levels.
