Support Vessel Collides into Offshore Platform in GOM

M/V Celeste Ann, an offshore support vessel, sank Friday morning in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The vessel, which had 4 crew members and 19 people on board, collided with an offshore oil production platform, the Coast Guard reported.

The 112-foot supply vessel struck a platform located about 15 miles west of Southwest Pass at around 9 a.m. All people on board were rescued and transferred to another ship before the vessel sank.

“There were no injures. Everyone was rescued,” Coast Guard spokesman Carlos Vega said in a released statement.

A Coast Guard aircraft that flew over the scene reported that a half-mile by 150 foot sheen of oil was spotted on the ocean surface. The Coast Guard deployed a boom to contain the spill and reported that the platform was not damaged.

B&J Martin owned Celeste Ann and plans to hire a company to recover its vessel, Vega said.

All passengers aboard the vessel were offshore workers, company spokesman Jimmie Martin said, as reported by The Associated Press. Martin declined to identify the operator of the platform.

If the boat isn’t recovered and remains at the bottom of the Gulf, it would have to be reported as a waterway hazard because of the fuel it contains, Vega said.

With more than 10 years of journalism experience, Robin Dupre specializes in the offshore sector of the oil and gas industry. Email Robin at rdupre@nullrigzone.com.

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