UPDATE: 2:11 p.m. EDT – The Coast Guard reports that there is, in fact, a mile-long oil sheen spreading across the water from the site of the explosion.
All 13 people aboard the rig were found floating in the water in survival gear.
Has history repeated itself? Just four months after the devastating explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, the Vermilion 380 oil rig has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.
The rig blew up at around 10:30 a.m. this morning, according to the Coast Guard. Thirteen workers jumped into the waters of Vermilion Bay following the explosion that set the production platform afire. One worker was injured and had to be transported to the Terrebone General Medical Center.
Unlike the situation with the Deepwater Horizon, the production platform on this oil rig was in the water at a depth of 340 feet. The Coast Guard says that the Vermilion 380 oil rig was not producing any crude product when the explosion occurred. An investigation is now underway to help determine whether or not any oil is currently leaking into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Vermilion 380 oil rig is owned by Mariner Energy, whose headquarters is located in Houston, Texas.
Related articles by Zemanta
- Oil Platform Explodes: Vermilion Rig 380 Explosion (buzzfeed.com)
- Another Oil Rig Explodes In Gulf Of Mexico (news.sky.com)
- Vermilion Bay Rig Explosion In Gulf Of Mexico (nowpublic.com)
Get Blippitt via RSS feed, Facebook, Twitter, Google+,
and be sure to get our Daily Email Broadcast.
