Reply #156: All crew accounted for in Gulf blast

[kentauros]

Source: upstreamonline.com

All crew accounted for in Gulf blast

US Coast Guard said all 13 crew members have been rescued after an explosion and fire at a facility in the Gulf of Mexico in Vermilion Block 380, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay off Louisiana.

Anthony Guegel 02 September 2010 15:26 GMT


The fire is now being “contained” by a vessel chartered by Mariner to douse the flames and two more fire-fighting vessels are en route in case they are needed, a Coast Guard spokesman told UpstreamOnline.

He said the oil sheen in the water is about a mile long and 100 feet wide and a Coast Guard chopper is monitoring its movement.

It has not been confirmed if the sheen came from the platform.

Coast Guard received reports around 9 am this morning of an installation on fire with 12 people in the water and one missing.

All 13 people were recovered from the water and all were wearing immersion suits.

more at: http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article228330.ece

This is a "production platform" and not a drilling rig, meaning it was drilled previously and a production platform installed on a fixed rig. These usually are there to clean the product a bit before pumping it onshore for further refinement. Also, the water depth is being reported here at 340 feet. This is not a deepwater platform.