Earlier today, a helicopter spotted another oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. The 13 people on board did escape, though one was injured. Now, there’s a mile-long oil slick and it’s still growing.
The oil slick is at least 100 feet wide and was spotted near the rig, which is owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy Inc. At least 3 firefighting vessels have been deployed to deal with the ongoing fire. According to a statement from the company:
“Mariner has notified and is working with regulatory authorities in response to this incident. The cause is not known and an investigation will be undertaken.”
Apparently, the platform was also in production. This particular platform produces up to 58,800 gallons of oil and 900,000 cubic feet of gas per day. Located in shallow water 200 miles west of the BP oil rig that exploded back in April, it is hoped that this incident will be more easily (and a lot faster) dealt with than the last disaster.
Updates will be posted as they happen.
By Heidi Marshall
