Fire extinguished on drillship in Gulf of Mexico

STEVEN MCGINN, News Editor

HOUSTON -- A fire on Seadrill’s West Neptune drillship, operating in the Gulf of Mexico, has been extinguished.

Andalusia, Ala.-based radio station WAAO was one of the first media outlets to report the fire, posting details on its Facebook page.  Several West Neptune crew members live in southern Alabama, and relatives of these men provided some initial details of the incident to WAAO.

“Thanks to the firefighters on board the rig, as well as the assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard and Louisiana Oil & Fire, the fire was contained and no serious injuries occurred,” WAAO said.

These details have now been confirmed by the Coast Guard. An official spokesman has told World Oil that a relatively small fire broke out on the rig last night. The crew extinguished the fire, themselves, and Coast Guard investigators are enroute to the vessel from Morgan City, La., said the spokesman. Further details will become available, as the investigation proceeds.

The West Neptune is a 6th-generation DP3 drillship, which was just completed last year and put into service in the Gulf of Mexico, operating under contract to LLOG Exploration. It is rated to a 12,000-ft water depth and has a 37,000-ft total drilling depth capability.