Offshore Supply Vessel Hits Production Platform in the Gulf of Mexico, Causing Fire

Offshore Supply Vessel Hits Production Platform in the Gulf of Mexico, Causing Fire

By Rob Almeida On January 23, 2015

 

                            File image (c) cdag/marinetraffic.com

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:

                           An undated photo of ST 27IA, via BSEE

Here’s what it looks like now:

                             ST 27IA, image via Byron Trosclair

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.