Explosion at Petrobras’ Pasadena refinery in the US injures one person

Brazil’s national oil company Petrobras has reported an explosion at its Pasadena refinery in Texas, US.

The company said one person was injured in the explosion that occurred at the 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery and the fire has been contained.

Reuters quoted the company saying in a statement: "The fire has been contained and the facility is in a safe condition.

"Authorities have been notified and are supporting the response.

"Air monitoring has been conducted by Pasadena Refining and Harris County Pollution Control, with no indications of any offsite impacts."

The explosion is believed to have damaged a light cycle oil hydrotreater, also called a hydrogen desulfurisation unit, which has a capacity of 35,000 bpd.

The unit is adjacent to the refinery’s 56,000 bpd gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracking unit and uses hydrogen to convert oil into diesel and remove sulfur.

A portion of the Houston Ship Channel, part of the Port of Houston, was closed by the US Coast Guard for three hours after observing heavy black smoke from the blaze at the refinery.

It was later reopened after a precautionary safety zone had been put in place.

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Image: An aerial view of a small section of the Houston Ship Channel on Buffalo Bayou. Photo: courtesy of US Army Corps of Engineers.