# Oil rig explosion in the gulf **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 2, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392 "2010-09-02T15:45:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/1 "2010-09-02T15:45:40Z")
An oil rig owned by Vermillion, 90 miles off the shore exploded . There were 12 workers all jumped into the water and were saved. There is no info on whether oil is leaking or not. Yes I know it is not a debate but it is not mundane either. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/2 "2010-09-02T15:49:01Z")
We really need a “hey look at this news” forum. Here’s hoping it’s not another leak. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/3 "2010-09-02T15:55:30Z")
[Here](http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/02/1804628/oil-rig-explodes-in-the-gulf.html) is a link to the story. > [@](#): > > The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating an oil platform explosion Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico west of the recent catastrophic BP oil spill. > > Mariner Energy’s Vermilion oil and gas platform exploded about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay, off Louisiana about 10:30 a.m., Thursday, a Coast Guard spokesman said on CNN. > > U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel said there were seven helicopters, two airplanes and four cutters in the area, Bloomberg reported. > > Thirteen crew members were on the rig and have all been accounted for, the spokesman said. I don’t know what the debate is, but that’s all I see so far on the story. -XT ---
**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, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/4 "2010-09-02T16:16:23Z")
[I started a thread in the Pit about this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=576810), since there’s really no debate at this point, just a situation that will prolly need some perplexed bitching to be done about it until we get more info. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/5 "2010-09-02T16:28:18Z")
Welcome to Obama’s America. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/6 "2010-09-02T16:42:17Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Welcome to Obama’s America. Yes, I remember him campaigning heavily on the “drill, baby, drill” platform. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/7 "2010-09-02T16:42:56Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Welcome to Obama’s America. What does this mean? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/8 "2010-09-02T16:58:45Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > What does this mean? In Obama’s America, doing stuff is DANGEROUS! We’d best elect another one of those consequenceless president’s next. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/9 "2010-09-02T17:04:14Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > [Here](http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/02/1804628/oil-rig-explodes-in-the-gulf.html) is a link to the story. > > > [@](#): > > > > The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating an oil platform explosion Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico west of the recent catastrophic BP oil spill. > > > > Mariner Energy’s Vermilion oil and gas platform exploded about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay, off Louisiana about 10:30 a.m., Thursday, a Coast Guard spokesman said on CNN. > > > > U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel said there were seven helicopters, two airplanes and four cutters in the area, Bloomberg reported. > > > > Thirteen crew members were on the rig and have all been accounted for, the spokesman said. > > I don’t know what the debate is, but that’s all I see so far on the story. > > -XT There is no debate. i made that perfectly clear. ---
**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, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/10 "2010-09-02T17:04:45Z")
Re-Elect George “Heckuva job” Bush! ---
**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, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/11 "2010-09-02T17:17:22Z")
Hmmm…sounds like someone needed some diversionary news… Makes me long for the days when they would just shoot a cruise missile into an empty factory in the middle of nowhere . . or get an intern under their desk… ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/12 "2010-09-02T17:31:58Z")
If it turns out the explosion was intentionally caused by a person or group of people aimed at disrupting gulf oil production or to further an environmentalist cause will they be considered terrorists, freedom fighters, or simply misguided but well intentioned? It could just as well been an accident, I know that. ---
**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, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/13 "2010-09-02T17:34:31Z")
Ahhh, I see the talking point forming already. Spread FUD about environmental terrorism. “No, I didn’t mean to say that environmental terrorists DID cause the explosions, and that Obama sympathises with them, I’M JUST ASKING QUESTIONS, MAN!” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/14 "2010-09-02T17:41:27Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > > > Welcome to Obama’s America. > > What does this mean? Well, this stuff never happened on Bush’s watch, did it? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/15 "2010-09-02T17:42:50Z")
The beauty of it is that Apache ,the oil rig owner, and a bunch of employees protested Obama’s moratorium yesterday. They claimed Obama was damaging the industry. Maybe it is exploding rigs that are the problem. I think the government should inspect every rig before it is allowed back on line. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/16 "2010-09-02T17:43:21Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > > [@Ogre](#): > > > > What does this mean? > > Well, this stuff never happened on Bush’s watch, did it? Erm. No, but 9/11 did. :: d & r :: ---
**Author:** ![AmericanMaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@AmericanMaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmericanMaid)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/17 "2010-09-02T17:44:34Z")
NM Dogzilla beat me to 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, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/18 "2010-09-02T17:48:19Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > The beauty of it is that Apache ,the oil rig owner, and a bunch of employees protested Obama’s moratorium yesterday. They claimed Obama was damaging the industry. Maybe it is exploding rigs that are the problem. I think the government should inspect every rig before it is allowed back on line. The platform is owned by Mariner Energy, which is involved in a merger process with Apache but that may not becompleted as of yet. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/19 "2010-09-02T17:53:39Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > > > Well, this stuff never happened on Bush’s watch, did it? > > Erm. > > No, but 9/11 did. > > :: d & r :: Sure, but that was a bunch of pinko New Yorkers. The victims here are Real Americans - good downhome country folk. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392/20 "2010-09-02T18:25:20Z")
[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/02/oil-rig-explodes-in-the-g\_n\_703525.html](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/02/oil-rig-explodes-in-the-g_n_703525.html) The rig was in production and the coast guard says it is leaking. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rig-explosion-in-the-gulf/552392.md?page=2)