Sunday, July 27, 2025

Pirates attack Gulf of Mexico oil rig, lock up crew and loot the contents

Pirates attacked and plundered an oil rig last Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico, locking up the crew while they looked for loot.

Witnesses said at least six men armed with guns and knives boarded the rig at 9:30pm and proceeded directly to the third floor to wake up the crew. After locking up workers in the cafeteria, the thieves wandered freely, looting equipment, materials, money and anything of value they could carry.

The pirates departed at 4:00 am on Monday, when the rig’s captain sent an emergency alert to authorities. The navy responded 4 1/2 hours later. The crew and company lawyers have spent this week in interviews and taking inventory of damaged or stolen items, which have still not been fully identified.

It was not the first heist of this kind in the Gulf of Mexico, where pirate attacks are becoming a growing threat to oil rigs. On March 12, President López Obrador announced that the navy would maintain permanent operations off the coast of Dos Bocas, Tabasco, to protect against pirates that have in the past attacked Pemex oil rigs.

The rig that was targeted Sunday, called Fortius, is anchored several kilometers off the shore of Campeche. When fully staffed it has a total capacity of 150 people, but it is currently manned by a small maintenance team.

The owner, Mexican oilfield services firm Oro Negro, declared bankruptcy in September 2017, and is currently in the middle of a US $900-million negotiation with debtholders over the future of five oil rigs, including Fortius.

Source: Reforma (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
inside a Cruz Roja ambulance

A year after El Mayo’s capture, Sinaloa’s capital is seen as Mexico’s most dangerous city 

0
A survey of Culiacán residents found that a staggering 90.8% of them feel their city is unsafe, more than double the figure from a year ago and higher than any other urban area in Mexico
President Sheinbaum at the podium during her mañanera press conference on July 25.

Sheinbaum condemns war in Gaza: Friday’s mañanera recapped

3
The president reiterated her support for peaceful coexistence between "the state of Israel and the state of Palestine." She also vowed to "pacify" the troubled state of Sinaloa.
Alicia Bárcena and Zeldin hold up copies of a signed agreement to fund sewage treatment for the Tijuana River

Mexico and US sign agreement to end Tijuana sewage crisis

9
For decades, raw sewage flowing into the Tijuana River has washed into the Pacific Ocean, polluting beaches on both sides of the border— a problem the deal aims to solve by the end of 2027.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity