Why is every thing in the Gulf of Mexico a rig? Does the general public know the difference? It took the media a few hours to make this distinction and pin the location of the Vermilion block as being south of Lafayette LA (SW Louisiana) and not Grand Isle La (SE Louisiana). They were off by 150 miles. This is like getting Gulf Shores and Panama City confused. And this was Fox news!! I think they get about 10% of the story right most of the time.
I would also like to see these full body immersion suits (gumby survival suits). We just don't use them in the Gulf. North Sea yes, but not in the Gulf. Come on who wants to put on 10 ml of neoprene in August to jump into 85-90F water? Look at the video - Type 1 life jackets.
I'd be surprised if this fire resulted in much pollution at all. Total production was reportedly 1400 bopd (condensate). Pollution was more likely diesel, I suspect, much akin to what you'd expect if a boat caught on fire and sank.
Now I'm curious why these guys all jumped into the water. The facility should have had a life boat or at least a raft. Was this panic perhaps induced by recent media coverage or was the company too cheap to buy one, opting for the least expensive option.
There's one thing for sure, this group of guys did exactly what they were trained for and they survived an incident. I sure do hope that everyone walked out of the hospital went home, kissed momma and the kids and are having a beer tonight.
This Bud's for you.
Here's a little more about Mariner Energy. A 2nd-3rd tier operator who buys the stuff the majors don't want anymore or develops marginal fields with minimal staff to maximize profit.
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com...086989-31246-142536&SessionID=qZe2HHHAD_cyrl7
