Angola Oil Platform Fire Exposes Risks of Deepwater Drilling

Chevron Subsidiary Faces Scrutiny After 17 Injured in Offshore Blaze

A fire erupted on May 20, 2025, aboard CABGOC’s BBLT deepwater platform in Angola’s Block 14, leaving 17 workers injured—four critically. The incident, which occurred during scheduled maintenance, has reignited debates about safety protocols in remote offshore operations where evacuation options are limited.

“Every minute counts when you’re 50 miles from shore. This could’ve been far worse.” — ANPG safety inspector (anonymous)

The platform, operated by Chevron subsidiary CABGOC, had been offline since May 1, 2025, for routine upkeep. Angola’s National Oil, Gas, and Biofuels Agency (ANPG) confirmed all injured personnel were evacuated to onshore medical facilities, with the fire contained within hours. No hydrocarbon spills were reported, but the structural integrity of the $1.2 billion facility remains under assessment.

Engineering Challenges in the “Goldilocks Zone”

Block 14’s geography complicates emergency response: spanning 1,500 square miles (4,000 sq km) with depths plunging to 6,000 feet (1,800 meters), the BBLT platform sits in 1,300 feet (396 meters) of water—a “Goldilocks zone” deep enough for technical complexity but shallow enough to tempt risk calculations. Phase 1 of the project taps the Benguela Belize fields, while Phase 2 targets Lobito Tomboco via subsea wells.

Chevron’s 90-year foothold in Angola—including stakes in Block 0, Block 14, and the 5.2 million-metric-ton-per-year Angola LNG plant—faces new scrutiny. The 2023 production-sharing agreement for Block 14/23 in the Angola-DRC maritime zone, plus fresh Gulf of Mexico operations, stretches the firm’s crisis-response bandwidth.

“Maintenance periods statistically see 30% more incidents. Fatigue and procedure shortcuts creep in.” — Rig Safety Analyst, Lloyd’s Register

As regulators pore over sensor data and maintenance logs, the industry watches for ripple effects. With deepwater production critical to Angola’s 1.1-million-barrel-per-day output, the balance between speed and safety just got harder to ignore.