Explosion in Iran damages oil and gas transfer pipeline station

Tehran — A gas explosion during repair operations damaged Iran's Cheshmeh Khosh-Ahvaz oil and gas transfer pipeline station July 6, the oil ministry-run news service Shana reported.

The incident, which occurred at around 16:30 local time, killed three drilling workers and injured four.

The Cheshmeh Khosh oil field station is in the western province of Ilam, 52 km (32 miles) from the city of Dehloran, and the damaged 20-inch pipeline takes crude to the southwestern province of Khuzestan.

The Cheshmeh Khosh operation facility has a nominal capacity of 181,000 b/d. It processes oil from the Aban, Cheshmeh Khosh, Paydar, West Paydar and Dalpari fields. The oil is transferred via two 18- and 20-inch pipelines over a 153-km stretch to reach Ahvaz pump station no. 3.

Oil from Cheshmeh Khosh goes to the Kharg oil export terminal and the country's refineries.

Elias Fathi, deputy governor of Ilam for political and security affairs, was quoted by student news agency ISNA as saying, "This incident was not a security problem."

Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh called for an urgent investigation to determine the cause.