September 2nd, 2010 | 
Author: GULF OF MEXICO – Another oil rig explosion has occurred and caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico early Thursday morning, September, 2, 2010. The offshore explosion happened about 80 miles south of Grand Isle, La. and about 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay.
Photo Credit: 2010 WLOX.
Rescue choppers from New Orleans and Houston are responding along with The Coast Guard. Seven helicopters, two airplanes and four boats are en route to the site.
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Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel told reporters that the blast was reported by a commercial helicopter company at about 9:30 a.m. CDT Thursday.
The Coast Guard says that 13 people who were on the rig have been accounted for at this time. One is reported injured.
Ranel says it hasn’t been determined whether the structure is a production platform or a drilling rig. He says smoke was reported but it is unclear whether the rig is still burning.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough tells CNN that reports indicate the rig was not actively producing product but he is not sure if there is “any risk of pollution.”
The rig, known as “Vermilion 398,” is owned by Mariner Energy, which is based in Houston, and is in water about 2,500 feet deep. The company has an office in Lafayette.
This recent explosion is west of the Deepwater Horizon explosion that happened on April 20, 2010 which caused a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, claiming the lives of 11 oil rig workers.
Gov. Bobby Jindal will hold a news conference in Baton Rouge at the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness at 12:30 p.m. on the recent rig incident.
Source: WLOX ABC 13
Update:
(Reuters) – Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said on Thursday afternoon that production from a burning oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut.
Jindal said operator Mariner Energy’s (ME.N) senior officials told Louisiana officials the flow of oil from the sea floor had been stopped. The fire seen on the platform was from flammable material in storage on the platform.
Published by Houston maritime lawyer Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP
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Workers on the Vermilion 398 oil rig are covered under The Longshore and Harbors Workers Act (LHWCA). The explosion is currently under investigation to determine the cause and where the negligence lies.