Gulf of Mexico natural gas well catches fire on Tuesday evening

"This is not going to be another BP oil spill." - Terrebonne President Michel Claudet

After a blowout occurred on a natural gas well in the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday morning, the rig caught fire when gas leaking from that well ignited, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement confirmed early Wednesday morning. No one was on board at the time of the ignition and no one was injured, according to BSEE.

BSEE said the well ignited at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday and that the source of the ignition remained unknown on Wednesday morning.

The blowout occurred as Walter Oil & Gas Corp., of Houston, was completing work on a "sidetrack well" to prepare that well for new production, according to BSEE. A sidetrack well uses the same hole as the original well but then spreads to a new location at the same depth.

Jefferson Parish Council Chairman Chris Roberts had feared on Tuesday that the well could ignite.

"We are monitoring it because of its proximity to Grand Isle and because if there is a natural gas cloud that continues to flow then you run the risk of an explosion if there is ignition," Roberts had said.

Jefferson officials are monitoring the well closely, especially in light of the fact that the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo starts on Thursday, an event expected to draw more than 15,000 sport and recreational fishers and tourists to Grand Isle. Roberts said the well is southwest of Grand Isle.

BSEE had stated on Tuesday that a firefighting vessel was expected to be on location on Tuesday evening with both water and foam fire fighting abilities. The Coast Guard cutter is on the scene maintaining a 500-meter safety zone, "assuring that no vessels or persons get close to the vicinity of the rig so that they aren't placed in danger," Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough said on Wednesday morning.

The blowout happened about 8:45 a.m. Tuesday. All 44 people on the rig -- which BSEE corrected late Tuesday from earlier reports of 47 people on the rig -- were safely evacuated, authorities said.

The jack-up rig is owned by Hercules Offshore, also based in Houston, and operated by Walter Oil & Gas, according to BSEE. Until the well ignited late Tuesday, BSEE officials had said that there never was a fire at the well. A cause of the gas leakage remained undetermined, according to BSEE.

BSEE inspectors flying over the site on Tuesday morning reported a cloud of natural gas above the rig and a light sheen on the water's surface about a mile long by 50 feet wide. However, the inspectors reported that sheen was dissipating quickly.

"BSEE's efforts today are focused on bringing this loss of well control event to a safe resolution," Lars Herbst, BSEE's Gulf of Mexico regional director, said Tuesday afternoon. "Offshore oil and gas operators need to reaffirm their aggressive approach to the safety of well operations in light of this event and other recent well control events."

No injuries were reported in the incident on the Hercules No. 265 rig.

The workers escaped the rig on two Hercules lifeboats, then transferred to an offshore supply vessel, the Max Cheramie, according to the Coast Guard.

The rig was 55 miles offshore in 154 feet of water, according to BSEE. BSEE did not immediately know the well's depth.

Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet said on Tuesday afternoon that the evacuees were taken to Port Fourchon. He said that a unified command center has been established at Louisiana 56 and Woodlawn Ranch Road in Houma.

"Nothing that I have received to date has caused me to panic in any way or form," Claudet said. "This is not going to be another BP oil spill."

He said Witt | O'Brien's is the spill management team and that it is responding to the site with Clean Gulf Associates.

The Coast Guard dispatched an 87-foot cutter, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from the Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans and one HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Ala., to assist and monitor the evacuation.

"Our first and foremost concern is for the safety of all personnel aboard our drilling rig and we have taken every necessary precaution to safely evacuate the rig," John T. Rynd, CEO and President of Hercules Offshore, stated on Tuesday morning. "Furthermore, efforts are ongoing with our client, Walter Oil & Gas, to mobilize the necessary resources to regain control of the well and minimize any potential impact on the environment."

The operator, Walter Oil and Gas Corporation, will be conducting a site assessment prior to beginning any work on the well, according to BSEE. The Coast Guard is providing safety management oversight and BSEE will be reviewing and approving all plans and procedures to stop the flow of gas and secure the well.

NOLA.com | Times-Picayune reporter Naomi Martin contributed to this article.

Source: http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2013/07/gulf_of_mexico_natural_gas_wel.html

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