The key facts

  • Fire on the SPD14D platform (Phase 14 of South Pars) contained, personnel evacuated
  • The platform produces 14.5 million cubic meters of gas per day out of the field's more than 700 million cubic meters of output
  • The cause of the fire is being investigated: a gas leak or an industrial incident are being considered

Fire on the South Pars platform

A fire broke out on Tuesday on the SPD14D gas platform at Iran's South Pars field in the Persian Gulf, Turkey's Anadolu agency reports, citing Iranian media. All platform personnel were evacuated as a precaution: Iran's deputy oil minister had earlier announced this, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Containment and possible causes

Pars Oil and Gas Company reported that emergency and rescue services contained the blaze on one of the platforms of the field's Phase 14. The cause of the fire is still being investigated: the deputy oil minister named a gas leak or an industrial incident as possible explanations. No casualties were reported immediately after the incident.

The platform's importance for production

According to the deputy oil minister, as cited by Anadolu, the SPD14D platform produces 14.5 million cubic meters of gas per day, out of South Pars' total output of more than 700 million cubic meters — that is, about 2% of the field's production. South Pars is Iran's largest gas field and an important source of domestic gas supply; the field is shared with Qatar, where it is known as North Field. The published reports did not assess the fire's impact on overall production volumes.