Inactive Oil Rig, “Vermilion 398,” Explodes in Gulf of Mexico; UPDATE: News Videos Added, Jindal Says Had 7 Active Wells
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on September 2, 2010
Left: Oil rig explosion in Gulf; Right: Survivors floating in ocean awaiting rescue
An oil rig 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay in the Gulf of Mexico has exploded. It is reportedly an inactive rig (see updated correction below), and the 13 people who were on the rig are accounted for.
However, there is no word yet on their conditions… they have all been taken to the hospital.
RT: Another offshore oil rig explosion in Gulf of Mexico
FOX News: Coast Guard Responding to Gulf Oil Rig Explosion, Search and Rescue Info
From WAFB Ch. 9, Baton Rouge News: Oil rig explodes in Gulf of Mexico:
VERMILION BAY, LA (WAFB) – The Coast Guard is responding to another oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to the Coast Guard, 13 people were onboard when it exploded and caught fire Thursday morning.
Everyone is accounted for and have been taken to Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma by helicopter. Their conditions are unknown.
The rig is located about 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay.
The Coast Guard said explosion happened around 9:15 a.m. and caught fire.
A helicopter reported at about 10 a.m. he saw 13 people floating in the water in special suits near a burning oil rig platform.
Rescue helicopters and Coast Guard cutters were immediately sent to the scene.
Coast Guard officials said they do not yet know if there is any type of leak associated with this explosion.
They said there are reports it was not actively producing product, but they will investigate whether there is any type of environmental impact.
The rig is known as “Vermilion 398.”
The rig is owned by Mariner Energy, which is based in Houston, and is in water about 2,500 feet deep.
The company has an office in Lafayette.
This recent explosion is west of the one that happened on April 20 which caused a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Gov. Bobby Jindal will hold a news conference in Baton Rouge at the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness at 12:30 p.m. on the recent rig incident.
Click here for Gov. Jindal’s live news conference today.
Boats are seen spraying water on an oil and gas platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
From AOL News, Oil Rig Explodes in Gulf of Mexico:
NEW ORLEANS, La. (Sept. 2) — An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 100 miles off the Louisiana coast, west of the site where BP’s undersea well spilled after a rig explosion.
The Coast Guard said no one was killed in the explosion, which was spotted by a commercial helicopter flying over the site Thursday morning. All 13 people aboard the rig have been accounted for, with one injury. The extent of the injury was not known.
They were rescued from the water by an offshore service vessel, the Crystal Clear, said Coast Guard Cmdr. She said they were taken to a nearby platform. All were being flown to the Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma to be checked over.
“Thirteen people were seen huddled together in the water wearing gumby suits or immersion suits, water protection suits, so we were able to confirm that all people were accounted for,” Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer John Edwards said.
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.
[...]
Apache spokesman Bob Dye said the platform is in shallow water. A company report said the well was drilled in the third quarter of 2008 in 340 feet of water.
Responding to an oil spill in shallow water is much easier than in deep water, where crews depend on remote-operated vehicles access equipment on the sea floor.
The platform is about 200 miles west of BP’s blown out Macondo well. On Friday, BP was expected to begin the process of removing the cap and failed blowout preventer, another step toward completion of a relief well that would complete the choke of the well. The BP-leased rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 people and setting off a massive oil spill.
From New York Times, Coast Guard Reports Blast on Oil Rig in Gulf of Mexico:
GRAND ISLE, La. (AP) — An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 80 miles off the Louisiana coast, west of the site where BP’s undersea well spilled after a rig explosion.
The Coast Guard says no one was killed in the blast, which was reported by a commercial helicopter flying over the area Thursday morning. All 13 people aboard the rig have been accounted for, with one injury. The extent of the injury was not known.
Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said some of those from the rig were spotted in emergency flotation devices.
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.
The Department of Homeland Security said the platform was in about 2,500 feet of water and owned by Mariner Energy of Houston. DHS said it was not producing oil and gas.
The Deepwater Horizon rig leased by BP was in about 5,000 feet of water when it exploded and sank in April, killing 11 workers and triggering a leak of about 206 million gallons of oil.
Correction to that earlier reports that the well was inactive. Gov. Bobby Jindal has now reported that the rig had seven active wells.
From Newser:
(Newser) – Maybe not the happiest of endings after all: A long oil slick is spreading from the site of this morning’s explosion of an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Early reports said the platform wasn’t producing any oil or gas, but Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal now says it had seven active wells. The Coast Guard hasn’t confirmed reports that crew members were able to shut them down before bailing. This good news stands: All 13 crew members were rescued.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard is keeping a close eye on the oil plume, which is a mile long and a 100 feet wide: “We’re monitoring the oil sheen to make sure it’s not growing,” said Chief Warrant Officer Barry Lane. The platform was producing 59,000 gallons of oil and 900,000 cubic feet of gas per day and could store 4,200 gallons of oil, reports the AP, citing federal figures.
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Thank god noone was killed. I want to know what caused the explosion.
[...] Vicki McClure Davidson Buzz: This news is just breaking… an oil rig 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay in the Gulf of Mexico has exploded. It is reportedly an inactive rig, and the 13 people who were on the rig are accounted for. … [...]