TEHRAN – A rig in Iran’s largest natural gas field is out of service following a leak in a gas pipeline in Gulf waters, Pars Oil and Gas Company reported Saturday.
Gas leaking to the surface about 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the rig caught fire after a lightning strike, but the blaze was extinguished, it said.
“The gas transmission pipeline of platform 16 of the South Pars gas field began to leak on the seabed on Friday,” said a company statement published by the Shana news agency, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Petroleum. from Iran.
“The location of the leak was found, all the platform exits were closed and the leak was completely contained.”
The platform was now “not operational,” the statement said, adding that repairs were underway.
It will take some time to fix the seabed pipeline, Alireza Ebadi, South Pars production manager, told state television.
Iran’s South Pars field, part of the world’s largest natural gas condensate field, is shared with Qatar, where it is known as the North Dome field. There are 24 platforms on the Iranian side.
Iran has the second largest proven natural gas reserve in the world after Russia.