Deepwater Horizon incident April 21, 2010. Photo United States Coast Guard
The oil platform explosion off the Louisiana coasts on Thursday reportedly has no leaks. “The fire is out, and there are no reports of visible sheen in the water,” U.S. Coast Capt. Peter Troedsson told reporters at a press conference. “There are no reports of leaks, but we continue to investigate.”
The explosion took place just 200 miles from the catastrophic Gulf oil spill just five months ago. According to information given to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, the fire started in “100 barrels of light oil condensate,” however those reports are still unconfirmed.
The platform was owned by Mariner Energy and operated very different from other oilrigs like the Deepwater Horizon that leaked oil into the Gulf for nearly three months. Oilrigs are used for drilling, while platforms go into operation after oil is already flowing at an expected rate. Andy Radford, an expert on offshore oil drilling of American Petroleum Institute explained that, “A production platform is much more stable,” than an oilrig.
When the Coast Guard arrived, a small portion of the platform appeared to be burned. Crewmembers stated there was some type of explosion, which prompted them to jump overboard. Mariner Patrick Cassidy disagreed and concluded that an explosion did not take place but it was a fire.
Thirteen of the crewmembers aboard the platform were rescued and injuries were minor. The crewmembers were airlifted to Terrebone General Medical Center in Houma, La.
Although this incident was very different from the Deepwater Horizon, it brought back the horrors of the BP oil spill to Louisiana locals. Those that call the coast home are starting to petition to have offshore drilling banned in the area. The local economy is still trying to recover to the damage from the massive oil spill caused by the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon.