Fire on Gulf production platform extinguished
The crew was transported to medical facilities onshore. No injuries have been reported. Automated shutoff equipment on the platform safely turned off the flow of oil and gas from the platform’s seven producing wells before the fire occurred and the crew evacuated.
Mariner is working with regulatory authorities in response to this incident. The company mobilized fire response vessels immediately upon learning of the incident. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and an investigation is underway.
The Washington Post reports Patrick Cassidy, a spokesman for Mariner Energy, as saying that the 13 crew members were painting and water-blasting the production platform when a fire broke out near the top of the facility, where there is an oil storage tank. He said it was not clear what caused the fire, but the crew evacuated. He said there were no injuries and that all 13 crew members were accounted for. One member of the crew was a Mariner Energy employee, and the rest worked for oil service firms.
And at a press conference today U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Peter Troedsson said that,despite earlier reports, there is no evidence of an oil sheen and no visible leaks.
“We continue to investigate and to monitor that situation,” he said at a news conference.