According to U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough, an offshore oil rig, Vermilion Oil Rig 380, owned by Mariner Energy, Inc., is on fire, some 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay, below Marsh Island, Louisiana.
Coast Guard officials told The Associated Press it was a producing natural-gas rig, approximately 450 feet above the sea floor.
At approximately 10:30 a.m. ET, the Coast Guard received a report of an explosion at the site, he told CNN.
There were 13 people aboard the rig. All of them have been accounted for, Colclough said. Twelve of the employees have been placed inimmersionsuits. They will receive medical treatment atTerrebonne General Medical Center in Houma, Louisiana.
Eight Coast Guard rescue helicopters have been dispatched to the rig location. In addition, three Coast Guard cutters -- USCGC Decisive, Manta and Skipjack -- are en route, with four civilian vessels.
No information about the cause of the explosion and fire are available. An investigation is in progress, the Coat Guard spokesman said.
As of last year, Mariner Energy, which is headquartered in Houston, "had interests approximately 240 blocks on the continental shelf and 100 blocks in deepwater," and "net interests in more than 185,000 acres, primarily in the Permian Basin and Gulf Coast."
About 85 percent of the companys production comes from offshore, with a growing share of that coming from deepwater developments such as Geauxpher, Bass Lite and Northwest Nansen.
We'll update this post as the story develops. [Copyright 2010 National Public Radio]
