What happened

A fire broke out aboard Chevron's Benguela Belize Lobito Tomboco (BBLT) deepwater platform in Block 14, offshore Angola, roughly 85 miles from the coast, beginning Tuesday 20 May 2025 and continuing into Wednesday 21 May when Chevron confirmed the incident. The company reported 17 workers injured, four of them seriously, and one worker missing, with search-and-rescue efforts underway in coordination with local authorities; no fatalities had been confirmed in the sources reviewed. Chevron said the cause of the fire remained under investigation and did not comment on whether crude production had been affected; the BBLT complex typically produces over 200,000 barrels per day. Chevron said its immediate priority was the safety and wellbeing of its personnel. This is documented as an accidental offshore-platform fire, cause undetermined, not an attack.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.