Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 11:23 am Post subject: Oil Rig Explodes Off Louisiana Coast in Gulf of Mexico
Oil Rig Explodes Off Louisiana Coast in Gulf of Mexico
Sep 2, 2010 10:19 AM CDT WAFB
VERMILION BAY, LA - The Coast Guard is responding to another oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.
13 people were onboard when it exploded and caught fire Thursday morning.
Everyone is accounted for, one injury.
The other workers are in the water in immersion suits.
The rig is located about 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay.
Oil rig explodes off La. coast
Coast Guard responding to reports of people in water
Rescue efforts under way after oil rig explosion in Gulf
GRAND ISLE, LA Breaking news, Check links for updates.
An offshore oil rig exploded Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Coast Guard was responding to reports of people in the water.
The explosion occurred west of the site of the April BP blast.
the blast was reported by a helicopter company about 9:30 am.
7 helicopters, two airplanes and 4 boats are en route to the site, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay along the central Louisiana coast.
Uncertain whether the structure is a production platform or a drilling rig or whether workers were aboard.
Smoke was reported but it is unclear whether the rig is still burning.
Crews responding to reports of people in the water.
It is believed there were 13 people on the rig, one was reportedly injured and 12 were OK but not rescued yet.
11:43 am U.S. Coast Guard said all 13 workers involved in the rig explosion are accounted for.
Coast Choppers are on the way to the site 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay.
[Posted at 11:33 a.m.] An oil rig has exploded 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana, with 12 people overboard and one missing, the Coast Guard said Thursday morning.
Rescue attempts are under way for at least 12 people, Coast Guard spokesman John Edwards told CNN.
13 people were on board the rig total, Edwards said, noting 12 have been accounted for, but one person was missing.
The accident took place 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana on the Vermilion Oil rig 380, which is owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy.
The Coast Guard has multiple helicopters, an airplane and several Coast Guard cutters en route.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09...-oil-rig-accident-in-gulf/?hpt=T2
UPDATE
Mile-long oil sheen spreading from site of burning platform in Gulf off Louisiana.
Oil Rig Explodes Off Louisiana Coast
September 02, 2010 NEW ORLEANS, La.
A mile-long oil sheen spread Thursday from an offshore petroleum platform burning in the Gulf of Mexico off Lousiana, west of the site of BP's massive spill.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Coklough said the sheen, about 100 feet wide, was spotted near the platform owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy Inc.
He said Mariner had deployed three firefighting vessels to the site and one already was in place fighting the blaze.
The Coast Guard says no one was killed in the explosion and fire, which was reported by a commercial helicopter flying over the site around 9 a.m. CDT. All 13 people aboard the rig were rescued as they floated in the nearby water in survival outfits called gumby suits.
The platform is in about 340 feet of water and about 100 miles south of Vermilion Bay on the central Louisiana coast. It's location is considered shallow water, much less than the approximately 5,000 feet where BP's well spewed oil and gas for three months after an April rig explosion.
All 13 people aboard the rig were found floating in the water, sticking close together, Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer John Edwards said.
"These guys had the presence of mind, used their training to get into those gumby suits before they entered the water. It speaks volumes to safety training and the importance of it because beyond getting off the rig there's all the hazards of the water such as hypothermia and things of that nature," Edwards said.
All were being flown to a hospital in Houma to be checked over. Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said one person was injured, but the platform's owner, Houston-based Mariner Energy, Inc., said there were no injuries.
"Mariner has notified and is working with regulatory authorities in response to this incident. The cause is not known, and an investigation will be undertaken," the company said in a statement. It said the platform was located on Vermilion Block 380, approximately 100 miles off the Louisiana coast.
The platform is a fixed petroleum platform that was in production at the time of the fire, according to a homeland security operational update obtained by The Associated Press.
The update said the platform was producing about 58,800 gallons of oil and 900,000 cubic feet of gas per day. The platform can store 4,200 gallons of oil.
Seven Coast Guard helicopters, two airplanes and three cutters were dispatched to the scene from New Orleans, Houston and Mobile, Ala., Ben-Iesau said. She said authorities do not know whether oil was leaking from the site.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama was in a national security meeting and did not know whether Obama had been informed of the explosion.
"We obviously have response assets ready for deployment should we receive reports of pollution in the water," Gibbs said.
Mariner Energy focuses on oil and gas exploration and production in the Gulf of Mexico. In April, Apache Corp., another independent petroleum company, announced plans to buy Mariner in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $3.9 billion, including the assumption of about
$1.2 billion of Mariner's debt. That deal is pending. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/09...portedly-explodes-louisiana-coast
The cause of the fire is not yet known Yeah they will see what the public will believe. Probably intentional.
A fire on a well connected to an oil and gas production platform in the Gulf of Mexico is out and there is no indication of an oil sheen, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.
There were no serious injuries among the platform's rescued 13 crew members, who were wearing survival suits when they were plucked out of the water. They were being evaluated at Terrebone General Hospital, officials said.
Despite earlier reports, there is no evidence of an oil sheen, said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Peter Troedsson, adding there were no visible leaks.
"We continue to investigate and to monitor that situation," he said at a news conference.
The vessel, the Vermilion Block 380, was engulfed in flames Thursday morning about 100 miles off the central coast of Louisiana. The fire forced its crew into the water. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said the crew was doing maintenance when fire broke out.
Jindal said the men he spoke to were in good spirits and one was being released to go home for his son's birthday. "What's important is there are no injuries, no loss of life," Jindal said.
Mariner Energy, which owns the platform, said that the fire was not sparked by an explosion. It started at one of the platform's seven active wells after a safety shutoff occurred, the company said.
David Reed, a paramedic on board a nearby oil rig, said he suddenly saw "a bunch of smoke" from the direction of the Vermilion platform, and radios in his rig's control room started "lighting up like a Christmas tree" soon after.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/02/...tform.explosion/index.html?hpt=T2
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Join! (free) 
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
