Coast Guard ends search for 2 after oil rig fire

[Rhiannon12866]

Source: USA Today

8:14PM EST November 17. 2012 -

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Coast Guard on Saturday evening called off its search for two workers missing after a fire broke out on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, sending an ominous black plume of smoke into the air reminiscent of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion that transformed the oil industry and life along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Chief Petty Officer Bobby Nash told The Associated Press that the search was ended at about 5:25 p.m. CST.

Coast Guard officials said in a news release Saturday that helicopters were searching for the missing workers from the air, while a cutter searched the sea.

The blaze, which started Friday while workers were using a torch to cut an oil line, severely burned at least four workers. Their burns were not as extensive as initially reported, said Leslie Hoffman, a spokeswoman for Black Elk Energy, which owned the platform.


Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/17/coast-guard-ends-search-for-2-after-oil-rig-fire/1711719/

[hrmjustin]

1. God rest their souls.

[politicaljack78]

2. You know sometimes articles do not make any sense.

My prayers go out to the families of the burned and especially the missing.

My contest with this article is with this section:

The blaze, which started Friday while workers were using a torch to cut an oil line, severely burned at least four workers. Their burns were not as extensive as initially reported, said Leslie Hoffman, a spokeswoman for Black Elk Energy, which owned the platform.

Officials at Baton Rouge General Medical Center said Saturday that two men remained in critical condition, while two men remained in serious condition. All four, who are being treated in a burn unit, are employees of oilfield contractor Grand Isle Shipyard and are from the Philippines. The hospital said it and Grand Isle Shipyard are trying to reach the men's families in the Philippines.

The writer points out the workers were severely burned, but not as extensively....and then goes on to elaborate that two are in critical and two are in serious condition. How is that not extensive !

[Rhiannon12866]

5. Maybe they mean the other seven, since 11 were initially treated.

That confused me, too. And someone must have speculated on what could have happened to the missing workers if they've abandoned the search. Such an awful tragedy, you'd think we'd have learned by now.

[whistler162]

6. "not as extensive" likely refers

to the amount of their bodies that where burned and what type of burns happened on those parts of the body. A larger percent of the body involved is not a good sign. Also, IIRC, the depth of the burns. When I burned my toes in a pan of hot water, neuropathy involved, the doctors where unsure for a while what type of burns, 1st 2nd or 3rd degree, they where. It takes time for the swelling to stop and they have to debreed the wounds.

I wish all involved the best.

[hollysmom]

3. using a torch to cut an oil line

I need to think about this for a millisecond - done -not a good idea.

Actually, I wonder if they knew it was an oil line or was it mismarked? Were they given proper training or low paid untrained workers? Lots of questions there.

The good news (little that there is) is that there have been amazing advances in burn treatments since a friend of mine was seriously burned and screamed as they scrubbed off his skin each day. Much less pain and more recovery.

[Dustlawyer]

12. It can probably be linked to cutting corners to save time ($) as that is where these types of

mistakes happen. As to the burns, I have had my face, neck and one arm burned 2nd and 3rd degree. There is NOTHING more painful in the world than burns! They are exquisitely more painful and last forever with grafts etc. A broken arm heals and you are ok, a burn does not work the same. These greedy companies factor in the settlements as a cost of doing business. The costs of the settlements unfortunately do not offset the gains made from cutting corners. There is too much money at stake. I have seen the "3 little pigs" document from BP's Texas City, Texas plant explosion where they budgeted how much they would have to spend to "save their little piggies bacon," vs. how much they would have to spend if one of their "little piggies" died. They factored in how many people they would expect to die under a certain budget and how much that would cost them. Then they looked at production and chose a budget where they would make the most money, and only kill "1 or 2 workers!" They missed on the "only 1 or 2," workers estimate, they killed 15 and injured 6,000. They did not learn from this and that is how the BP Gulf oil spill was born! The movers and shakers of these companies need to know that the cost may include their freedom! THESE PEOPLE NEED TO GO TO JAIL!!!! In Brazil, they confiscate the passports of all company officials until the matter is resolved. Here, the companies donate to both parties and only get fines and maybe a few underlings go to jail to satiate the masses that something was done!

[hollysmom]

14. sadly the worst people never go to jail, some are even hearalded as celebrities

I am so sorry about your burns and the pain you suffered. Burns are still frightening, despite the advances.

Since I had a close friend who was treated for serious burns over most his body and my brother had a friend who had acid burns over most his body, I have tried to keep up with the improvements in treatments, since they both went through horrible torture.

[Ash_F]

4. Using a torch to cut an oil line?

Is that procedure? That sounds disastrous.

[wordpix]

7. is this another foreign rig that we didn't know was in the Gulf?

I went to a Congressional hearing in DC after the BP blowout re: foreign rigs. The Coast Guard and committee members said they didn't know how many foreign rigs were operating in the Gulf. It's like the wild west out there.

[kentauros]

8. First off, by the looks of this rig

it appears to be a production rig and not a drilling rig. The media often report simply "offshore rig/platform" without making a distinction between the two. The design suggests to me that it was drilled decades ago and is still producing. The company that owns it is based in Houston, so no foreign rigs involved this time. Unless they also build rigs that are 30+ years out of date...

[Rhiannon12866]

9. Update: Interior to probe Gulf oil platform fire

By Ben Geman - 11/18/12 08:24 AM ET

The Interior Department has begun probing the explosion and fire on a Gulf of Mexico oil production platform Friday that killed one worker, while another remains missing.

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search Saturday evening after more than 32 hours, the agency announced.

But Black Elk Energy, which owns the platform located about 17 miles southeast of Grand Isle, Louisiana, is continuing to look for the second missing worker, according to press accounts. Divers hired by the company found the body of one of the two missing platform crew members Saturday.

“Divers will continue to search for the second missing worker,” Black Elk Energy CEO John Hoffman wrote in an email to the Associated Press and other outlets. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.”

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/268611-one-dead-one-missing-as-coast-guard-suspends-search-after-gulf-platform-blaze

[littlemissmartypants]

10. Is this possibly one of the missing?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014309341

[Rhiannon12866]

11. That's the way I understood it. Now they are still searching for one missing worker.

They found the body of one missing worker late yesterday and four remain hospitalized.

[Cooley Hurd]

13. Kick/Rec - Cross gently, missing workers...