The Mariner Energy-owned platform that erupted in flames Thursday was just 200 miles (320 kilometers) west of the spill site, but everything from the structures to the operations to the safety devices were different.
The Coast Guard initially reported that an oil sheen a mile (1 1/2 kilometers) long and 100 feet (30 meters) wide had begun to spread, but hours later said crews were unable to find any spill.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Steve Lehmann in New Orleans said Friday morning that an 87-foot (27-meter) Coast Guard cutter patrolling the area has not reported any signs of leaks.
By comparison, the BP PLC-operated rig Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20 killed 11 workers and caused a three-month oil leak that spilled 206 million gallons (780 million liters) of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
Houston-based Mariner did not know what caused Thursday’s fire. The 13 workers who were pulled from the water told rescuers that there was a blast on board, but Mariner’s Patrick Cassidy said he considered what happened a fire, not an explosion.
Platforms are vastly different from oil drilling rigs like BP’s Deepwater Horizon. They are usually brought in after wells are already drilled and sealed and the oil is flowing at a predictable pressure. A majority of platforms in the Gulf do not require crews on board.
Many platforms, especially those in shallower water, stand on legs that are drilled into the sea floor. Like a giant octopus, each spreads numerous pipelines and can tap into many wells at once.
The Deepwater Horizon was drilling a well a mile (1,500 meters) beneath the sea, which made trying to plug it after it blew out an incredible challenge, with BP trying techniques never tested. The platform that caught fire, meanwhile, was operating in 340 feet (105 meters) of water in a shallow area of the Gulf known as a major source of gas.
Responding to any oil spill in such a shallow spot would be much easier than in deep water, where crews depend on remote-operated vehicles to access equipment on the sea floor.
Mariner Energy officials said there were seven active production wells on its platform, and they were shut down shortly before the fire broke out. The platform was still intact and a small portion appeared burned, Cassidy said.
A Homeland Security update said the platform was producing 58,800 gallons (222,575 liters) of oil and 900,000 cubic feet (25,500 cubic meters) of gas per day. The platform can store 4,200 gallons (15,900 liters) of oil.
Environmental groups and some lawmakers said the newest problem showed the dangers of offshore drilling, and urged the Obama administration to extend a temporary ban on deepwater drilling to shallow water.
“How many accidents are needed and how much environmental and economic damage must we suffer before we act to contain and control the source of the danger: offshore drilling?” said Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone.
There are about 3,400 platforms operating in the Gulf, according to the American Petroleum Institute. Together they pump about a third of the America’s domestic oil, forming the backbone of the country’s petroleum industry.
