# Oh shit! Another gulf rig explodes! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 2, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395 "2010-09-02T16:03:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/1 "2010-09-02T16:03:46Z")
[ > [@AP](#): > > A commercial helicopter company reported the blast around 9:30 a.m. CDT Thursday, Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel said. Seven helicopters, two airplanes and four boats were en route to the site, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay along the central Louisiana coast. ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US\_GULF\_RIG\_EXPLOSION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-09-02-11-53-45](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GULF_RIG_EXPLOSION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-09-02-11-53-45)) Placed this in the Pit since no telling whats gonna happen and I think people are gonna wanna bitch a bit about this. ETA: At least right now it looks like no one was killed. > [@](#): > > The Coast Guard said initial reports indicated all 13 crew members from the rig were in the water. One was injured, but there were no deaths. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/2 "2010-09-02T16:10:28Z")
Holy crap! What’s going on down there? ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/3 "2010-09-02T16:14:11Z")
It says that the rig was “currently not producing”. That might mean that it hadn’t hit oil yet, which would be good news. On the other hand, if they hadn’t hit oil, what exploded? This can’t be good… I guess we’ll see as real information comes in. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/4 "2010-09-02T16:15:18Z")
I can’t wait to see Sarah Palin spin how this means we need more offshore drilling. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/5 "2010-09-02T16:18:27Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > It says that the rig was “currently not producing”. That might mean that it hadn’t hit oil yet, which would be good news. On the other hand, if they hadn’t hit oil, what exploded? Somebody put tin foil in the microwave? ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/6 "2010-09-02T16:19:30Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > It says that the rig was “currently not producing”. That might mean that it hadn’t hit oil yet, which would be good news. On the other hand, if they hadn’t hit oil, what exploded? This can’t be good… I guess we’ll see as real information comes in. There is lots of flammable stuff on a rig besides oil. Could have been a diesel tank for generators, any number of chemicals used for cleaning the rig, paint, you name it. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/7 "2010-09-02T16:23:55Z")
Thanks, guys. The September Public Forum debate topic for high schools deals with off-shore drilling. You just handed the negative another dozen points. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/8 "2010-09-02T16:26:29Z")
My coworker just told me about this. I laughed myself silly. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/9 "2010-09-02T16:28:47Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I can’t wait to see Sarah Palin spin how this means we need more offshore drilling. Easy. We need to replace all those exploding wells with better, non-exploding wells. Hopefully we can get to “slow-burning” wells. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/10 "2010-09-02T16:32:06Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > It says that the rig was “currently not producing”. That might mean that it hadn’t hit oil yet, which would be good news. On the other hand, if they hadn’t hit oil, what exploded? It’s a production platform. Originally there was a drilling rig there sometime in the past. They struck oil, completed the well (or wells), pulled the rig off and installed a permanent production platform. There should be plenty of redundant mechanisms in place to keep this contained… the operative word being “should.” ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/11 "2010-09-02T16:34:54Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I can’t wait to see Sarah Palin spin how this means we need more offshore drilling. It was those damn liberal environmental terrorists. Not only do we need more platforms to show them that they can’t kill freedom, we need more military spending. Oh…and tax cuts for the rich. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/12 "2010-09-02T16:35:15Z")
When the Horizon blew, my coworker was absolutely sure that it was terrorism. He’s been pretty quiet about that theory since, but this may start him up again. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/13 "2010-09-02T16:45:53Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > > [@appleciders](#): > > > > It says that the rig was “currently not producing”. That might mean that it hadn’t hit oil yet, which would be good news. On the other hand, if they hadn’t hit oil, what exploded? > > It’s a production platform. Originally there was a drilling rig there sometime in the past. They struck oil, completed the well (or wells), pulled the rig off and installed a permanent production platform. There should be plenty of redundant mechanisms in place to keep this contained… the operative word being “should.” Agreed. I don’t think there are any unknown hazards there - just hazards that they obviously haven’t prepared for properly. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/14 "2010-09-02T16:55:30Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > It says that the rig was “currently not producing”. That might mean that it hadn’t hit oil yet, which would be good news. On the other hand, if they hadn’t hit oil, what exploded? This can’t be good… I guess we’ll see as real information comes in. Maybe by “currently” they mean “while it’s on fire”. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/15 "2010-09-02T17:01:29Z")
This explosion in 340 feet of water proves that forcing companies to drill in very new circumstances by the bedwetting liberals…ahhhh fuck it. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/16 "2010-09-02T17:09:23Z")
Platform was not in production which would account for there only being 13 people onboard. As previously mentioned, rigs do have fuel oil storage tanks to run equipment such as diesel generators. Hard to say at this point what happened. could be that they were doing routine maintenance on a piece of equipment and something went wrong. Or maybe, someone needed some diversionary news. Why don’t they go back to shooting a cruise missile into an empty factory in the middle of nowhere…or getting an intern under their desk 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/17 "2010-09-02T17:20:30Z")
> [@flickster](#): > > Or maybe, someone needed some diversionary news. Why don’t they go back to shooting a cruise missile into an empty factory in the middle of nowhere…or getting an intern under their desk 😃 Instead of doubling the times you say it, you might get more traction if you increase the sense quota of the joke instead. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/18 "2010-09-02T17:28:54Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > > [@flickster](#): > > > > Or maybe, someone needed some diversionary news. Why don’t they go back to shooting a cruise missile into an empty factory in the middle of nowhere…or getting an intern under their desk 😃 > > Instead of doubling the times you say it, you might get more traction if you increase the sense quota of the joke instead. Let’s just hope it’s a joke… If so, I’m here all week ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/19 "2010-09-02T17:34:06Z")
What the hell?!? I’ll be surprised if the whole state of Louisiana doesn’t go on a murderous rampage with all the shit they’ve had to deal with lately. Fuck the oil companies. :mad: :mad: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395/20 "2010-09-02T17:34:37Z")
> [@flickster](#): > > If so, I’m here all week Oh, goody. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-shit-another-gulf-rig-explodes/552395.md?page=2)