Gulf oil platform fire differs from what led to massive BP spill, but area residents jittery

NEW ORLEANS - The oil platform fire in the Gulf of Mexico this week differs in several ways from the blast that led to the massive BP spill, and not just because no one was killed and no crude was gushing into the water.

Even though the Mariner Energy-owned platform that erupted in flames Thursday was just 200 miles (322 kilometres) west of the site of the oil spill, everything from the structures to the operations to the safety devices were different.

Yet, when word spread of the latest mishap, Gulf Coast residents could only think of the three-month BP spill that began after the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers.

"It's unbelievable," said Sophie Esch, 28, a graduate student at Tulane who is from Berlin, Germany. "They should finally stop drilling in the Gulf. They should shut down all the drilling out there and not give permission to do any more. They've shown that it's just unsafe."

The Coast Guard initially said an oil sheen a mile long and 100 feet wide was spreading from the blast site, but hours later said crews were unable to find any spill. Houston-based Mariner Energy said it did not know what caused the fire.

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.

There are about 3,400 platforms operating in the Gulf, according to the American Petroleum Institute. Together they pump about a third of America's domestic oil, forming the backbone of the country's petroleum industry.

Platforms are vastly different, and more stable, than oil rigs like BP's Deepwater Horizon, experts said. They are usually brought in after wells are already drilled and sealed.

"On a drilling rig, you're actually drilling the well. You're cutting. You're pumping mud down the hole. You have a lot more activity on a drilling rig," said Andy Radford, an API expert on offshore oil drilling.

In contrast, platforms are usually placed atop stable wells where the oil is flowing at a predictable pressure, he said. A majority of platforms in the Gulf do not require crews on board.

The Deepwater Horizon was drilling a well a mile (1.6 kilometres) beneath the sea, which made trying to plug it after it blew out an incredible challenge. In contrast, the platform was operating in 340 feet (104 metres) of water in a shallow area of the Gulf known as a major source of gas.

Platforms do not have blowout preventers like deep water rigs that are supposed to shut down wells if there is problem. But they usually have redundant valves that can shut off oil and gas at different points along the pipeline.

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 Coast Guard said it would continue to monitor the platform.

Mariner Energy said it did not know the fire's cause. Cassidy said the platform was intact though a small portion appeared. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said the company told him the fire began in 100 barrels of light oil condensate.

A Homeland Security update obtained by The Associated Press said the platform was producing 58,800 gallons (223,000 litres) of oil and 900,000 cubic feet (25,500 cubic meters) of gas per day.

The platform can store 4,200 gallons (15,900 litres) of oil.

All 13 workers on the platform were found huddled together and wearing life jackets when rescued. A captain of the Crystal Clear, a 110-foot (34-meter) boat that rescued them, said his craft was 25 miles (40 kilometres) away when it received a distress call.

When Capt. Dan Shaw arrived at the scene, the workers had been in the water for two hours and were thirsty and tired.

"We gave them soda and water, anything they wanted to drink," Shaw said. The crew members were flown to a hospital and released by early Thursday evening.

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 Rep. Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat.

Industry representatives sought to distance what happened Thursday from the well blowout in April.

"We have on these platforms on any given year roughly 100 fires," said Allen Verret, executive director of the Offshore Operators Committee.

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Associated Press writers Harry R. Weber, Michael Kunzelman and Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans, Chris Kahn in New York, Eileen Sullivan, Matthew Daly, Gerry Bodlander and Dina Capiello in Washington, Garance Burke in Fresno, California, and researcher Monika Mathur in New York contributed to this report.