Another Blowout on a Drilling Platform in the Gulf of Mexico

On Tuesday July 23, at 9:50 AM a shallow-water natural gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico suffered a blowout. A cloud of gas hovered over the area at Hurcules Platform No. 265, located about 100 nm south of New Orleans, about 40 miles south and 12 miles west of Grand Isle. The Coast Guard dispatched a cutter and two aircraft and reported that the platform was safely evacuated. All 44 people onboard the platform managed to escape in two life boats.

As reported by On Wings of Care, a nonprofit dedicated to wilderness protection who happened to be on an airborne excursion in the area, by 2 PM, about a mile of very light surface sheen to the east of the platform, which would support public statements that “only” natural gas is leaking at this time. See the images they shot above left.

TV station WDSU reports that while Hercules Offshore owns the platform, Jefferson Parish Emergency Management (JPEM) officials said Walter Oil and Gas was the company conducting drilling at the time of the incident. Initial reports indicate natural gas began working its way to the surface as crews were in the process of pumping mud.

JPEM participated in an early afternoon call that included members of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management as well as the Coast Guard. Responding agencies have established a unified command in Houma to manage the situation.

The Federal Aviation Administration has posted flight restrictions for the immediate area.

Related Articles
Three of the Most Destructive Tanker Oil Spills in History
Top 25 Oil Spills Over 1000 Tonnes in the Last Decade
Managing the Massive Gulf Oil Spill
Oil Spills off the Coast of New Zealand
Responsibility for the Costs of the Gulf Oil Spill
Offshore Oil is an Avoidable Tragedy
Shell Oil Rig Runs Aground in Alaska Raising Safety Concerns
BP Accused of Corporate Recklessness Including Willful Misconduct
Transocean to Pay $1.4 billion for its Role in the Gulf Oil Spill
The Cost of Oil: BP Barred from Doing Business with the US
The Costs of Oil: BP Liable for up to 90 Billion
Another Offshore Oil Leak
Two More Reasons to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels
The Costs of Offshore Drilling