An offshore oil rig operated by independent Mariner Energy caught fire this morning in the Gulf of Mexico – but, luckily, is far removed from the scale of BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster.All 13 crew members were evacuated and the blaze, of unknown c
An offshore oil rig operated by independent Mariner Energy caught fire this morning in the Gulf of Mexico – but, luckily, is far removed from the scale of BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster.
All 13 crew members were evacuated and the blaze, of unknown causes, is now out.
Mariner has said that the fire was not caused by a “blowout” of petroleum following pressure control failure, as per the BP disaster.
"It wasn't a blowout, it's not an explosion," Mariner spokesman Patrick Cassidy told Reuters.
"The fire appears to have been in or near the living quarters on the upper deck."
The US Coastguard reported an oil sheen at least one kilometre long in waters near the site, which was shut off for maintenance at the time of the blaze.
Mariner will investigate the cause of the accident.
There are several key differences between the Mariner platform and the Deepwater Horizon rig.
The Mariner platform is stationary, as opposed to a semi-submersible floating rig, and is located in shallow water – about 100m as opposed to Deepwater Horizon’s depth of 1500m.
In late August, Mariner produced 1,400 barrels a day of oil compared to the most recent official Deepwater Horizon estimate of about 53,000 barrels a day before the broken wellhead was capped.
Total Gulf of Mexico oil production volumes average 1.6 million barrels a day.
Shares in Mariner Energy (NYSE: ME) are down 2.57% following the fire, and US crude oil and gas futures both recorded jumps.
US market analysts surveyed by Reuters said that long-term market impact was only likely if the Mariner accident was successfully used to support the case of a moratorium on offshore drilling.
