5 Largest Offshore Accidents
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are over 2,300 cases of oil rig accidents in any given year. About 200 of these cases result in fatal injuries, which is why oil industry workers should take extreme precautionary measures to avoid disasters.
Unfortunately, some oil companies cut corners to save time and money. In doing so, they end up causing catastrophic accidents resulting in long-term consequences for the workers. Below are some of the major offshore accidents ever witnessed:
1. Pemex Mexican Oil Platform explosion
In 2015, four oil rig workers died, and 16 others injured when fires broke out on the Gulf of Mexico’s Pemex oil processing platform. At least 300 workers were rescued from the fire, which burned throughout the day before being extinguished by 8 firefighting boats.
According to Pemex, a Mexican state-run oil company, the fire broke out in the platform’s dehydration area. It was not clear what caused the fire, but there were oil spills aftermath.
This explosion came when Pemex was involved in a series of oil accidents at its various oil processing facilities. In 2013, 37 people died at the company’s city headquarters, and another 26 died in a similar fire breakout at Pemex natural gas facility. All these accidents invoke the thought that the company neglects the safety of its workforce.
2. Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the largest oil spill in history, whose consequences affect marine life to this day. The oil spill occurred on 20th April 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 41 miles off Louisiana’s coast.
It was reported that the accident started with an integrity failure caused by a surge of natural gas. After blasting through the concrete core, the natural gas traveled up the rig’s riser to the platform, where it ignited, killed 11 workers, and injured 17 others. The rig then capsized and sank on April 22, rupturing the riser and consequently spilling the oil into the gulf.
3. Mariner Energy Vermillion disaster
Months after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, another explosion occurred on a Mariner Energy facility. The fire occurred about 100 miles south of Louisiana’s Vermilion Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. Although there were no fatalities, all the 13 crew members rescued were hospitalized, with one of them sustaining serious injuries.
The oil rig exploded in the morning of September 2010, at a time it was undergoing maintenance. As the oil rig was engulfed in fire, its automated shut-off system failed, thereby spilling the oil into the bay.
4. Usumacinta Jack-up disaster
The Usumacinta jack-up disaster occurred on 27th October 2007 in the Gulf of Mexico. The accident claimed 22 lives after colliding with the Kab-101 platform in the Bay of Campeche.
The Kab-101 platform, which Pemex owned, was positioned alongside Usumacinta to complete drilling an oil well. Unfortunately, a strong storm accompanied by strong winds and waves pushed the jack-up causing its deck to hit the production valve on the Kab-101 platform.
Oil and gas leaked despite the efforts by crew members to seal off the valves. Shortly afterward, there was an ignition, and fire broke out on the platform, killing 22 people.
5. C.P Baker Drilling Barge disaster
The C.P Barker Drilling disaster occurred on 30th June 1964 in the Gulf of Mexico. The accident resulted in 21 people’s deaths, while 22 others were seriously injured after the fire exploded.
Water flowed into the barge through the open doors on the main deck, causing it to malfunction. Minutes after blowing out, the barge was engulfed in fire, forcing crew members to jump into the water. Unfortunately, only 22 crew staff survived out of the total 43 onboard.
Involved in an offshore accident?
Despite observing all safety measures, offshore accidents can still happen. If you or your loved ones are involved in an offshore accident, be sure to consult Johnson Garcia LLP Houston maritime lawyers. We have over 25 years of both legal and maritime law experience to settle your case fairly.