LA Gov. says 2nd Oil Rig Explosion Contained

| Posted on: September 3, 2010

New Orleans (ABC News) - Thirteen workers rescued, fire is out and there are no reports of a leak.
An explosion on an offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico early today ignited a fire that caused workers to evacuate into the water, but the U.S. Coast Guard said that all the workers survived and there are no oil leaks reported near the platform.

The cause of the explosion is not yet known, but the 13 workers who were photographed floating in the ocean waiting to be rescued have been accounted for. They were airlifted to Terrebone General Medical Center in Houma, La.

U.S. Coast Capt. Peter Troedsson said none of the workers had serious injuries and the fire has been extinguished.

"The fire is out, and there are no reports of visible sheen in the water," Troedsson said at a press conference this afternoon. "There are no reports of leaks, but we continue to investigate."

Earlier reports from the U.S. Coast Guard had suggested that an oily sheen was seen near the site, sparking fears of another oil spill like the BP's Deepwater Horizon Spill, just east of this explosion.

A press release from the Mariner Energy said an initial examination of the site revealed no leaking oil.

"In an initial flyover, no hydrocarbon spill was reported," read the release.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said at a press conference that Mariner Energy has told his office and the U.S. Coast Guard that the production platform was active at the time of the explosion, servicing as many as seven active wells. There are a total of 13 wells connected to the platform, said Jindal.

"They are saying that they've shut in the production platform," said Jindal. "If that's true that's a very important step but we haven't independently verified that."

Current production averages 1,400 barrels of oil a day, said Jindal, and 9.2. million cubic feet of natural gas. The maximum production of the platform is 1,800 barrels per day.



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LA Gov. says 2nd Oil Rig Explosion Contained