17 Workers Rescued After Fire Erupts on South Pars Gas Field Platform

Iranian authorities have successfully contained a fire that erupted on a platform within the South Pars gas field, recognized as the world's largest offshore natural gas reserve. The Pars Oil and Gas Company reported that the blaze began on Tuesday on a gas platform in Phase 14 of the field and was promptly extinguished. According to Kourosh Dehghan, Bushehr Province’s director general of crisis management, 17 workers were compelled to jump into the sea to ensure their safety, and rescue operations for them are currently in progress. Dehghan stated that further details concerning the incident's scope and the workers' conditions would be disclosed later. Subsequently, Bushehr’s crisis management office confirmed that all 17 workers were in good health after they boarded lifeboats and rescue craft. Three heavy rescue vessels were dispatched to the platform to facilitate their return. Officials are investigating a potential gas leak or an operational error as the causes of the fire. The affected platform contributes approximately 14.5 million cubic metres to South Pars's daily production, which exceeds 700 million cubic metres of gas. Iran shares this significant gas reservoir with Qatar, a major gas exporter, which refers to its section as the North Dome. The reservoir is estimated to hold about 1,800 trillion cubic feet (51 trillion cubic metres) of recoverable gas, sufficient to meet global demand for 13 years.