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A natural gas platform off the coast of Venezuela sank into the sea early this morning. All of the rig’s 95 workers survived. Anchor Marco Werman gets the story from the BBC’s Will Grant in Caracas.

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MARCO WERMAN:  Venezuela is investigating its own offshore rig accident today.  This one involves a natural gas exploration rig that sank early this morning into the Caribbean Sea.  The Venezuelan government says all of the rig’s 95 workers were evacuated to safety.  The BBC’s Will Grant is following the story from Caracas.  Will, any indication at this point what happened to this gas platform?

WILL GRANT:  None so far Marco.  Basically the country’s energy minister, Rafael Ramirez has come on to state television saying that they’re investigating the causes of why this Aban Pearl gas platform, as it’s called, sank of the coast, the northern coast of Venezuela.  Basically it was letting in water and basically reached such a level of inclination into the sea that they were forced to evacuate and subsequently it’s semi-submerged beneath the sea and they’re trying to now investigate the causes of that and see what can be salvaged.

WERMAN: And who owned this gas platform?

GRANT: This was the state run energy company, Pedevesa who set this platform up and it’s only been up and running really for a week or so.  It was announced amid much fanfare as the pride of Venezuelan national engineering.  So it comes as something of an embarrassment that just a handful of days later it’s actually being submerged beneath the waves.

WERMAN: And interestingly Will, news of the sinking of this rig came directly from President Chavez himself early this morning, but he didn’t give a press conference did he?

GRANT: No, President Chavez has now set up a twitter site at Chavez candanga, which basically he uses to give out information in a sort of ad hoc manner and in the small hours of this morning he was tweeting that this has happened.  He basically said I’m afraid to announce that the Aban Pearl rig is now submerged, but all 95 workers are safe.  The good news is that all 95 workers are safe he said on his tweet.

WERMAN: Does this sunken platform present any environmental risk?

GRANT: The government here has been very stringent in sort of underlining that they say that there is no environmental risk at all.  Obviously with the events in Louisiana so fresh in people’s minds, they’re keen to make sure that people are aware that there is no environmental risk.  It is the structure itself that is collapsed, but basically the gas and the gas well is contained and is safe.

WERMAN: This is an aging rig that had the accident today that’s kind of seen action around the world.  What does this accident say about the conditions of these facilities?

GRANT: It seems to suggest that the Venezuelan state run energy company is in need, at least, of some foreign support, I would say, it its operations in Venezuela and I think there’s been a recognition in recent weeks and months by the Venezuelan government on that point.  The recently just signed 40 billion dollars worth of investment deals in the Oronoco River Belt with Chevron from the United States, I think there’s an understanding that Pedevesa can’t do it alone.  Obviously there’s been a climate perhaps of rejecting foreign expertise under President Chavez, but I think now the corner has been turned on that front and he’s very aware that foreign capital, foreign expertise and foreign know how is definitely something that he needs for the Venezuelan energy industry to flourish.

WERMAN: The BBC’s Will Grant in Caracas.  Will thank you very much.

GRANT: You’re very welcome.

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