Shell’s Enchilada platform on the Gulf of Mexico has been shut in after two offshore workers were injured in a fire onboard the structure, located about 190km south of Vermillion Bay, Louisiana,
This came after the United States Coast Guard and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) responded to a report at 1.20am that the fixed-leg platform was on fire as 46 crew evacuated took lifeboats before transferring to the nearby Salsa platform via the offshore supply vessel, C-Liberty.
The BSEE said a 54-year-old male suffered flash burns and concussion and a 29-year-old male suffered from a sprained wrist and a concussion. Both were flown by helicopter to the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston.
Latest reports indicated that the fire had been extinguished. The BSEE said a light sheen had been reported to the north of the Enchilada.
The incident is being investigated by the BSEE and Coast Guard.
Shell said the fire was linked to a 30-inch gas export pipeline. Production was also shut in at the nearby Auger and Salsa platforms.
Shell said that there was no visual evidence of oil on the ocean in the vicinity of the incident.
