Crew Reported Safe In Gulf Oil Platform Fire

Another oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico suffered a serious fire this week, causing the rig to be evacuated. The Vermillion 380 oil platform, owned by Mariner Energy of Houston caught fire on the morning of Sept. 2, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

All of the 13 people working on the rig were rescued from the water, but there is a report of one injury. There were no early estimates of the possible extent of damage from the fire. Preliminary reports of an explosion on the oil rig were unconfirmed.

Rescue helicopters, other aircraft, and Coast Guard ships were sent to the area, which is located 80 to 90 miles south of Louisiana’s Vermillion Bay in the Gulf of Mexico, to respond to the accident. The site is west of the BP Deepwater Horizon platform.

The Vermillion platform is supposed to produce oil and natural gas but it was not actively producing at the time of the accident, according to reports. It is considered a small offshore platform and operates in about 2,500 feet of water.

First reports from Mariner Energy officials were that there is no oil leaking from the well.

Mariner Energy is a large independent oil and gas company operating in the Gulf, according to information on its web site (www.mariner-energy.com). It has 350 federal offshore leases and more than 110 of those are in development.