Cause of deadly rig fire unknown

One Grand Isle Shipyard employee remained missing Monday after U.S. Coast Guard crews recovered the body of another Saturday. The recovered body was that of Ellroy Corporal. The still missing man was identified as Jerome Malagapo.

At approximately 9 a.m. on Friday, 11 additional people were injured during a morning oil rig fire in the Gulf of Mexico’s shallow water nearly 25 miles off the coast of Grand Isle.

Maintenance work was taking place on the non-producing Black Elk Energy platform when fire broke out during a shift change.

According the multiple television news reports, the accidental fire occurred when a worker allegedly using a cutting torch to repair water treatment equipment supposedly sliced a three-inch pipeline connected to a container that released estimated 28 gallons of oil and gas vapors.

An oil sheen approximately one-half mile long and 200 yards wide was seen in the area following the blast and evacuation of personnel. Black Elk Engineering officials said the sheen was not related to the incident on its rig.

Of the 11 injured individual, four were reported to be in critical condition at the General Medical Center in Baton Rouge. Two victims were airlifted to Terrebonne General Medical Center where hospital spokesperson Rhonda Alfred said they were listed in good condition. Two victims were taken to Our Lady of the Sea General Hospital in Cut Off, but a spokesman said he could not confirm the conditions of those individuals. Four victims were taken to West Jefferson Medical Center in Marrero.

Nine other crew members unharmed, and four had left the platform prior to the explosion.

“After we’ve taken care of the people and the spill, then we will go and perform an investigation,” Black Elk Energy CEO John Hoffman told KTRK-TV in Houston Friday afternoon. “We will then do an engineering assessment of damage to the platform and we will rebuild.”

In a printed statement Hoffman said, “The workers impacted by this accident continue to be our primary focus.”

Friday’s incident prompted investigations by both the Coast Guard and the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Research should determine how the accident occurred and the proper enforcement steps that could follow.

The fire prompted concern as it came one day following a $4.5 billion settlement between BP and the U.S. Department of Justice, related to the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Some oil industry experts said it would be unfair and inappropriate to compare the two incidents.

“This can’t be compared to BP,” Louisiana Oil and Gas Association President Don Briggs said. “When men are on a platform and they’re welding and cutting, it’s a high-risk industry. We have accidents.”

Briggs explained that with more than 3,700 platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, occasional accidents should not be considered a sign of a significant safety problem. “It’s a serious business and we already have all kinds of regulations,” he said. Briggs also noted that new safety and inspection regulations have improved work conditions.

Actual damage to the rig was limited, according to reports.

The Black Elk Energy platform is a collection point facility for several oil-producing wells. The Houston-based company has 854 wells on 155 platforms covering 430,000 acres.

Corporal’s body was found in 30 feet of water near the platform’s leg. Corporal and Malagapo are from the Philippines. Both were employed by Grand Isle Shipyard out of Galliano.

“Our primary objective is to provide the highest level of care for our employees and subcontractors that were involved in this incident,” Grand Isle Shipyard CEO Mark Pregeant said Monday. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the individuals and their families that have been affected by this incident. We have notified the next of kin of all individuals involved, and we are working with our subcontractor and the families to make travel arrangements to visit the injured.”

Grand Isle Shipyard employed 14 or the 22 workers on the rig at the time of Friday’s explosion.

The exact cause of Friday’s explosion was not fully known Monday. Pregeant said an investigation into the incident and damage assessment would take weeks to complete.

“Initial reports that a welding torch was being used at the time of the incident or that an incorrect line was cut are completely inaccurate,” he said.

In a separate case involving Grand Isle Shipyard, a group of former workers, all from the Philippines, filed a lawsuit in 2011. The plaintiffs claim the company kept them in cramped living quarters, and forced them to work long hours for substandard pay.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.