The Rowan XL III is busy at work today drilling the relief well at South Timbalier 220 and we are hearing through our network that the relief well being drilled may actually end up being used as a production well. We reached out to Walter Oil and Gas this morning, but have not received comment yet. The following image shows the aftermath of the fire that destroyed the … [Read more...]
Hercules 265 Jack-Up Rig Blowout – “By No Means Was it the Rig Hands Fault”
An anonymous gCaptain source gave us the second-hand run down of what transpired on board the Hercules 265 when at 0845 on July 23, well A-3 blew out at South Timbalier 220, forcing the evacuation of the rig, and leading to a catastrophic well fire 14 hours later. The scenario The rig crew had been conducting completion work on the sidetrack well to prepare it for … [Read more...]
Relief Well Drilling to Commence at Site of Hercules Rig Fire
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) announced this afternoon that the drilling operation to permanently seal the well that blew out at South Timbalier 220 and forced the evacuation of the Hercules 265 jack-up rig will commence on Thursday. "Work is moving forward on all approaches," notes BSEE in their latest release. "Gas detectors and high-capacity … [Read more...]
Hercules Rig Fire Incident: BSEE Fails Test
A well blew out, a rig is abandoned, and a fire raged uncontrollably in the Gulf of Mexico for an entire day this week. For many, it was a stark reminder of the dangers involved in offshore drilling and in particular, the Deepwater Horizon disaster, an epic tragedy that unfolded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Since then, the oil and gas industry has encountered enormous … [Read more...]
Hercules Jack-Up Rig Fire is Out, Rowan Jack-Up Contracted for Relief Well
Update 5 (29 July 2013) On 27 July, BSEE approved a permit application by Walter Oil and Gas to drill the relief well which will permanently kill the well that blew out last week, destroying a fixed gas platform and seriously damaging the Hercules 265 drilling rig. Rowan Drilling's EXL-3 jack-up rig has been contracted by Walter and is on location at South Timbalier 220. Crews … [Read more...]
How a Jack-Up Rig Blowout Occurs
From a drilling safety standpoint, jack-up rigs are inherently more dangerous than floating rigs for two main reasons. First, if the well blows out and catches fire, there’s no way to unlatch the rig from the wellhead and move off station, thus removing the fuel source. Either the blowout preventer will close and the fire is extinguished, or the rig is going to burn to … [Read more...]
Hercules Jackup Suffers Loss of Well Control in U.S. Gulf of Mexico [INCIDENT PHOTOS]
![Hercules Jackup Suffers Loss of Well Control in U.S. Gulf of Mexico [INCIDENT PHOTOS]](https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Screen-shot-2013-07-23-at-9.16.21-PM-207x125.png)
UPDATE: Hercules Jack-Up Rig Catches Fire Hercules Offshore (NASDAQ: HERO) reported Tuesday that it is currently experiencing "a well control incident" on board its jack-up drilling rig Hercules 265 in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. All personnel have been evacuated and efforts are ongoing to regain control of the natural gas well. The rig is on contract with Walter Oil … [Read more...]