Breaking News! - Another Oil rig explodes in Gulf of Mexico
 

Posted: Sep 02, 2010 10:19 AM CDT Updated: Sep 02, 2010 10:56 AM CDT

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. Officials are reporting one injury.
The injured worker is being taken to Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma.
The other workers are in the water in immersion suits.
The rig is located about 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay.

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Rescue choppers from New Orleans and Houston are responding.
The explosion happened around 9:30 a.m. and as of 10:30 a.m. it was still on fire.
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.
The company has an office in Lafayette.
Copyright 2010 WAFB. All rights reserved.

Oil rig explodes in Gulf of Mexico - WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |

I know it's not Saints related, but...

Damn thats right by my family..they live in Vermillion parish..and my brother inlaw works out that way..i need to make some calls..

Just called brother n law is safe....hope this one isnt a s bad

This is horrible!

Unbelievable.

I think this could be more than a coincidence!

Oil sheen spreading from Gulf platform explosion

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.



Oil sheen spreading from Gulf platform explosion - Yahoo! News

This is unbelievable. Truly unbelievable.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I'm started to get pissed about all the things happening to our beautiful marshes.