Another oil rig catches fire in Gulf waters

Netherlands News.Net
Thursday 2nd September, 2010

Another Gulf coast rig has caught fire, causing the United States Coast Guard to scramble into action.

The oil platform fire in the Gulf of Mexico came as the Vermillion 380 production platform was shut down for maintenance.

When a part of the the rig suddenly burst into flames, crewmembers who had been doing maintenance work leapt into the ocean.

They were all rescued.

The platform, in waters off the Louisiana coast, is west of the Deepwater Horizon rig, which caused the world’s worst oil spill disaster earlier this year.

The US Coast Guard has assured the public that there is currently no sign of an oil spill.

Mariner Energy, which runs the platform, said the fire started on the upper deck where living quarters were located.

It said the fire was not caused by a sudden release of oil and gas, as occurred on the Deepwater Horizon.

Have your say on this story