The 260-foot DP2 offshore supply vessel Connor Bordelon
allided with the fixed production platform at South Timbalier (ST) Block
27IA this morning roughly 5 miles south of the Port Fourchon jetties.
The incident occurred at approximately 4:30 AM local time, according to
an emailed statement by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental
Enforcement (BSEE).
“There was a fire on the platform which was extinguished through firefighting efforts by vessels in the area,” according to BSEE. The platform is operated by Energy XXI, GOM, LLC which reported “gas bubbles intermittently rising to the surface,” however no other pollution has been observed.
Here’s what the platform looked like yesterday:
Here’s what it looks like now:
U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer Jonathan Lally tells gCaptain the Connor Bordelon has
since returned to Port Fourchon where a damage assessment is currently
under way. Petty Officer Lally notes the vessel was taking on water as a
result of the incident.
There were 20 personnel on board the vessel at the time of the incident and no injuries were reported.
According to the operator, “there were three wells producing oil at the time of the incident. An Emergency Shut Down (ESD) was successfully performed and production has been shut-in.”
The incident will be investigated by both BSEE and the U.S. Coast Guard.
“There was a fire on the platform which was extinguished through firefighting efforts by vessels in the area,” according to BSEE. The platform is operated by Energy XXI, GOM, LLC which reported “gas bubbles intermittently rising to the surface,” however no other pollution has been observed.
Here’s what the platform looked like yesterday:
An undated photo of ST 27IA, via BSEE
ST 27IA, image via Byron Trosclair
There were 20 personnel on board the vessel at the time of the incident and no injuries were reported.
According to the operator, “there were three wells producing oil at the time of the incident. An Emergency Shut Down (ESD) was successfully performed and production has been shut-in.”
The incident will be investigated by both BSEE and the U.S. Coast Guard.