Coast Guard: No Oil Sheen from Platform Blast

4:10
The Coast Guard is saying there are no immediate signs of a spill from an oil platform fire in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast.

All 13 crew members were rescued from the water in the second such disaster in the Gulf in less than five months.

The Coast Guard initially reported an oil sheen a mile long and 100 feet wide had begun to spread from the site of the fire, about 200 miles west of the site of BP's massive spill. But officials said at a Thursday afternoon news conference that boats at the platform have not seen any oil sheen.

1:25
A mile-long oil sheen spread Thursday from an offshore petroleum platform burning in the Gulf of Mexico off Lousiana, west of the site of BP's massive spill.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Coklough said the sheen, about 100 feet wide, was spotted near the platform owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy Inc.

He said Mariner had deployed three firefighting vessels to the site and one already was in place fighting the blaze.

The update said the platform was producing about 58,800 gallons of oil and 900,000 cubic feet of gas per day. The platform can store 4,200 gallons of oil.

Boats spray water on Mariner Energy rig platform

Vermillion 380 September 2 9:30 a.m.

Boats spray water on Mariner Energy rig platform

Rig workers float safely together in the water off Vermillion 380

Mariner Energy Spokesperson Patrick Cassidy speaks about the Vermillion 380 incident.

WKRG.com News
Link to the article attached to this video

12:05
CORRECTION: A report of the Vermillion 380 oil rig states that the rig is in shallow water at a depth of 340 feet. AP originally reported that Coast Guard officials said the Vermillion 380 rig was in 2,500 feet of water.

11:45 a.m.
One spokesperson says the rig is in shallow water.

Responding to an oil spill in shallow water is reported to be easier than in deep water. Deep water operations require remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) to access equipment on the sea floor.

The platform is about 200 miles west of BP's blown out well.

A picture of the explosion on the Vermillion 380 September 2 at 9:30 a.m.

11:35 a.m.
A Coast Guard spokesperson says some people from the rig were spotted in emergency flotation devices. She says authorities do not know whether oil is leaking from the site.

11:25 a.m.
Mariner Energy Inc. states that they "drill or participate in conventional shelf wells and deep shelf wells extending to water depths up to 1,300 feet", in the Gulf of Mexico.

The company has participated in more than 35 deepwater projects, operating more than half of them.

Mariner is among the largest lease holders on the continental shelf with interests in approximately 240 Federal leases and more than 30 state blocks (at year-end 2009).

11:15 a.m.
The oil rig owned by Mariner Energy Inc. is called Vermillion 380. According to their website, the rig was damaged in Hurricane Ike in September of 2008.

The site states that "the restoration of the facilities is taking a little longer than we originally expected."

Although not currently producing, Vermillion 380 is expected to produce 3,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day to 4,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

"When projects of this magnitude are delayed late in the year, our annual production and guidance are going to be affected," states the oil company on their site. "Nevertheless, production should be back on track by year end, and we are currently producing approximately 360 to 365 million cubic feet equivalents per day."

11:00 a.m.
The rig is reportedly owned by Mariner Energy out of Houston, Texas.

The Coast Guard said initial reports indicated all 13 crew members from the rig were in the water. One was injured, but there were no deaths.

The platform, owned by Mariner Energy Inc., is at a depth of 340 feet, according to the company's website. The Coast Guard said it was not currently producing oil or gas.

About 206 million gallons of oil from an undersea well spilled into the Gulf after BP's Deepwater Horizon rig exploded April 20, killing 11 workers.

Thursday, 10:30 a.m.
An offshore oil rig has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, west of the site of the April blast that caused the massive oil spill.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel says the blast was reported by a commercial helicopter company about 9:30 a.m. CDT Thursday.

Seven helicopters, two airplanes and four boats are en route to the site, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay along the central Louisiana coast.

Ranel says it hasn't been determined whether the structure is a production platform or a drilling rig or whether workers were aboard.

Ranel says smoke was reported but it is unclear whether the rig is still burning.

CBS news is reporting all personel are accounted for. One person has been taken to Terrebonne General in Houma, LA.