The Center, founded in 1985, is an environmental organization dedicated to protecting the environment, enhancing human, animal and plant ecologies, promoting the efficient use of natural resources and expanding participation in the environmental movement.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Gulf Rig Natural Gas Blowout: 47 Rescued
Natural gas flowed uncontrolled from the Hercules 265 oil drilling rig off the Louisiana coast on Tuesday after a blowout that forced the evacuation of 47 workers aboard a drilling rig. No injuries or fires were reported. The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) says the blowout happened south of Grand Isle, about 55 miles offshore, where the water depth was reported as 154 feet.
Tuesday's blowout occurred near an unmanned offshore gas platform that was not currently producing natural. The workers were aboard a portable drilling rig known as a jackup rig, operated by Hercules Offshore. Hercules said in a news release that it was operating the rig for Houston, Texas-based Walter Oil & Gas Corp.
The Houston-based Talos Energy-owned platform sits over three wells in water 144 feet deep. Energy Resource Technology LLC is trying to seal the well.
Walter Oil & Gas reported to the BSEE that the rig was completing a "sidetrack well" - a means of re-entering the original well bore. The purpose of the sidetrack well in this instance was not immediately clear. Industry websites say sidetrack wells are sometimes drilled to remedy a problem with the existing well bore. It is a way to overcome an engineering problem with the original well. (Times Union, 7/23/2013)
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