Mexico Fears Terrorists will Attack Gulf Oil Fields

Fearful that al-Qaida will attack its oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico, the Mexican government has deployed two frigates armed with surface-to-air missiles and three radar planes to patrol its oil fields. The country fears reprisals, because it is a neighbor of the United States.

One potential target is the Akal-C oil platform, which stretches more than half a mile and is one of the world's largest gas producers. It is fed by three dozen wells, and is an offshore oil and gas separation plant with over 600 workers, many of whom are Americans.

The Mexican oil fields cover 200,000 square miles, including three terminals, 240 offshore structures, and more than 1,400 miles of underwater pipelines. Petroleos Mexicanos or Pemex, began upgrading security over a decade ago after the Zapatista rebellion. This year, the Mexican government met the compliance standards of the new International Maritime Organization's ISPS security codes that went into effect on July 1st.

The Mexican oil fields produce more than two-thirds of the country's crude, 34 percent of its natural gas, and load about 873 tankers each year for export. Approximately 12,500 workers are employed in the fields, many of whom are flown back and forth in up to 70 helicopter trips from the coastal city of Cludad del Carmen.