Fire Extinguished at Sonatrach Drilling Rig in Hassi Messaoud

A fire at a drilling rig in Hassi Messaoud, Algeria, was successfully extinguished on Tuesday. The blaze, which started at around 09:36, was put out by 13:42. The fire occurred at the TP207 drilling rig, owned by the National Company for Oilfield Services (Sonatrach).

Civil Protection teams, along with Sonatrach personnel, responded to the incident. The fire was extinguished using resources from Sonatrach and with the support of the Civil Protection unit from Ohanet and the secondary unit from In Amenas.

The fire was located at the drilling fluid tanks of the drilling rig. No injuries or fatalities were reported. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

This is not the first incident at a Sonatrach facility this year. In February, a gas leak at a Sonatrach facility in Hassi Messaoud was reported, but no injuries were reported in that incident either.

Hassi Messaoud is a significant oil and gas field in Algeria, and Sonatrach is the national oil and gas company of Algeria.