Offshore Oil Platform on Fire in Gulf of Mexico

oil rig fire gulf of mexico

An oil platform is on fire in the Gulf of Mexico. Will the Gulf of Mexico oil disasters ever end?

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is still fresh on people’s minds and it will take years, or even decades, for many of the problems resulting from it to be addressed (and some of them will probably never be able to be fully addressed). Now, another offshore oil fire in the Gulf of Mexico, 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana on Vermilion Oil production platform 380 (owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy) has started. The oil platform is still on fire, but whether oil is leaking or will be leaking is still a little unclear.

The production platform is, reportedly, for both oil and natural gas.

The 13 workers on board the oil and gas production platform had to jump into the water but have been safely rescued. One had originally been reported as injured, but now is said not to be.

“Mariner has notified and is working with regulatory authorities in response to this incident,” a statement from the company said. “The cause is not known, and an investigation will be undertaken. During the last week of August 2010, production from this facility averaged approximately 9.2 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and 1,400 barrels of oil and condensate.”

The fire on the oil and gas production platform was first reported to the Coast Guard by workers on an oil rig nearby at around 9:20 a.m. local time (10:20 a.m. ET).

Mariner said that an initial flyover of the site showed “no hydrocarbon spill.” However, Coast Guard Petty Officer Elizabeth Bordelon said that there is a 100-foot wide, 1-mile long sheen on the water near the oil platform.

What is currently burning is, reportedly, from fuel that was in storage on the platform, not a leak.

We will keep you updated as this develops via a continuously updated post on Fail Drill.

Photo Credit: Photo of BP oil rig on fire by SkyTruth via flickr

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top