The Venezuelan Energy Minister said that the accident poses no environmental threat.
Oil and gas platform workers have dangerous jobs. The risks involved with offshore drilling have received national media attention since the explosion of Deepwater Horizon last month. After the explosion, the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig sank off the shore of Louisiana. That accident injured 17 workers. Eleven workers are still missing and presumed dead. The sinking resulted in an on-going oil spill that continues to threaten fish and wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico.