14 DAY TRIAL // A fire has broken out on a natural gas rig in the Gulf of Mexico, off the Louisiana shore. The fire followed a natural gas well explosion on the rig.
The blowout prompted a swift evacuation of the workers on the rig. According to WWLTV, there were 47 staffers on site when it blew up.
The employees have been rescued and they are all accounted for. They have been safely transported by two offshore supply vessels. Coast Guard officials have mentioned that nobody has been injured in the blast.
The incident occurred on the Hercules 265 jack-up rig, owned and operated by Hercules Offshore. CEO John T. Rynd mention that they are trying to minimize the damage and seize control of the gas well again.
"Our first and foremost concern is for the safety of all personnel aboard our drilling rig and we have taken every necessary precaution to safely evacuate the rig. Furthermore, efforts are ongoing with our client, Walter Oil & Gas, to mobilize the necessary resources to regain control of the well and minimize any potential impact on the environment," he notes.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement reports a “light sheen” spotted by helicopter operators, and it spread over a 50-foot (15-meter) perimeter.
"BSEE inspectors conducting an overflight reported a light sheen one-half mile by 50 feet (15 meters) in area which is dissipating almost immediately," a spokesperson for the BSEE states.
The incident took place as the crew were working to obtain a sidetrack well from under a fixed platform. They lost control of the flow as they were drilling on a side of an existing well.
"Walter Oil & Gas this morning reported the loss of control of Well A-3 on an unmanned platform at South Timbalier Block 220 while doing completion work on the sidetrack well to prepare the well for production," the BSEE adds.