Another Oil Rig Explodes Off Louisiana Gulf Coast

OIL RIG EXPLOSION | MARINER ENERGY RIG VERMILLION 380 EXPLOSION
News has just broken that another oil rig has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Few details are available at this time, but it appears the blast occurred around 9:30 a.m. local time on a rig owned by Mariner Energy.

Media reports say the rig, located about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay along the central Louisiana coast, is on fire. The 13 workers onboard were thrown overboard. All are now accounted for and one was injured. According to CNN, workers are in water immersion suits as they await rescue.
The rig, known as the Vermillion 380 production platform, sets in about 2500 feet of water, and is located just west of where BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded this past April. That disaster killed 11 men and set off the worst oil spill in US history. The flow of oil into the Gulf was not halted until July 15, and BP is still working to put a permanent plug on the gusher.
There is no word yet on whether or not any oil is spilling from the Mariner Energy rig. A US Coast Guard official told CNN that “there are reports the rig was not actively producing any product, so we don’t know if there’s any risk of pollution.”
There are seven Coast Guard helicopters, two Coast Guard airplanes and four Coast Guard cutters on the way to the rig, according to CNN.

Sheen Spotted Near Gulf of Mexico Oil Rig Fire

The US Coast Guard said a mile-long “sheen” has been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico near the area where an oil platform caught fire this morning. According to USA Today, Mariner Energy, which owns the platform, has reported that oil has spilled into water, but it not known where it is coming from, as the well was not producing at the time of the fire.
The rig, known as the Vermillion 380 production platform, sets in 340 feet of water about 90 miles south of Vermillion Bay, off the Louisiana Gulf Coast, and is located just west of where BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded this past April. The fire was reported around 9:30 a.m. local time.
Initial reports called the incident an explosion, but Mariner is now reporting that the fire started at one of the platform’s seven active wells. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said during a briefing this afternoon that all seven wells have been closed off and that what is burning now is from fuel in storage, and not from an active leak.
Thirteen workers aboard the platform at the time have been accounted for. One injury was reported earlier today, but Mariner is disputing that. According to the Coast Guard, all of the workers will be taken to Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma, Louisiana to be checked out.
The fire aboard the rig continues to burn. Houston-based Mariner Energy has deployed three firefighting vessels to the site and one already was in place fighting the blaze. The fire is said to be contained.
During his briefing today, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that the federal government has “assets ready” to respond to any environmental problems resulting from the fire on the platform.