A body found in the Gulf of Mexico has been identified as that of a Filipino oil worker who went missing after an explosion on an offshore platform Nov. 16. The discovery raised the death toll from the blast to three. The offshore accident was the deadliest since the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig, which killed 11 and caused the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. … [Read more...]
Black Elk in The Hot Seat Following Platform Fire
HOUSTON--Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations LLC, which owns the U.S. Gulf of Mexico platform that suffered a lethal explosion last week, must take immediate steps to improve the safety of its offshore operations, regulators said Wednesday. The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which oversees the safety of oil and gas production in federal waters, said it … [Read more...]
TV Crew Captures Deadly Platform Explosion on Video
A video surfaced Monday showing Friday morning's explosion on board a production platform located just off the Louisiana coast in the US Gulf of Mexico. The video was captured by a TV crews filming a show for a fishing network some 15 miles away when the blast occurred. The camera man was focussed on his subject when the platform exploded in the background. After the initial … [Read more...]
U.S. Issues Subpoena Over Louisiana Platform Fire
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board issued a subpoena to the owner of the oil and gas platform that exploded last week, the government agency said Monday. The explosion Friday of Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations LLC's platform left one worker dead, four critically injured and one missing. The Board, an independent federal agency that investigates industrial accidents, issued … [Read more...]
Coast Guard: Search Suspended for Two Missing Crewmembers Following Platform Explosion, Photo Reveals Damage [UPDATE]
*UPDATE* as of 5:25PM on 17 November: The USCG has suspended its search for the 2 missing rig workers. In the past 32 hours, 1,400 square miles of ocean have been searched using the following assets: The 87-foot Coast Guard Cutters Pelican and Razorbill; Three response boatcrews from Coast Guard Stations Grand Isle and Venice; Three HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed-wing … [Read more...]