The offshore energy consultancy Petrotec has started talks with Mexico's state-run oil company, Pemex, regarding the possible construction of a new £2.5 million training centre in the Latin American country.

The proposed educational facility would work to train Pemex employees working in the country's booming offshore oil industry, with a focus on health and safety and dealing with major on-site emergencies.

Though the plans are still in their early stages, it has already been confirmed that Petrotec is looking into establishing a partnership with a Mexican university, with several of its East Anglia-based specialists having recently embarked on a fact-finding mission across the Atlantic.

Karl Reeder-Farrow, founder of Petrotec: "We've worked as consultants with Pemex on a number of assignments and projects in new field development.

"What we're looking at the moment is the prospect of setting up a UK-run training centre in Mexico to train personnel in a number of elements - such as offshore survival training, operations and platform training, simulation of major emergency management - it would be quite complex training centre and the first of its kind in Mexico."

Mexico is currently the world's sixth-largest producer of crude oil, while, according to Petrotec, UK companies have established themselves as world-leaders in the training of oil workers since the Piper Alpha disaster 20 years ago.