Cargo Business Newswire

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Brazilian Petrobas depot explodes, killing two

A heating unit at a Petrobras depot in Brazil used to treat fuel for ocean-going ships exploded last week, killing two workers, according to an oil company statement.

The blast and resulting fire broke out about 10 a.m. while workers were doing planned maintenance on the heating unit, according to the press office of BR Distribuidora SA, the fuels distribution unit of
state-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as Petrobras

is formally known.

The heating unit is used to raise the temperature and reduce the viscosity of bunker fuel. Heating the fuel makes it easier to load aboard ships.

The fire at the naval-fuels depot at the Port of Tubarão near Vitória, Brazil, was controlled by firefighters and presents no immediate risk to anyone in the vicinity, Petrobas said in a statement.