Offshore platforms play a critical role in meeting global oil demands. Most of these platforms are located in the Gulf of Mexico, followed by the Persian Gulf. There are different types of platforms for varying purposes, including jack-up rigs , fixed platforms, semi-submersibles, and more. Some are meant for shallow waters closer to shore while others can operate in extremely deep waters in the ...
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Offshore drilling operations cannot continue forever. Wells can only produce for so long before their costs outweigh their productivity. At times, wells must be temporarily shut-in for reasons related to severe weather or problems related to supply and demand (such as occurred during the COVID-19 crisis). Eventually, every well will need to be permanently shut down. Shutting down oil wells is no ...
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More than 55,000 offshore oil wells are scattered among 2,287 active oil and gas leases across the ocean floor of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), which includes 10.9 million acres between state waters to 200 nautical miles from U.S. shores. An astonishing 58% of these wells are orphaned or abandoned . With more than 32,000 abandoned wells littering the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic, Atlantic, ...
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Posted By Arnold & Itkin LLP
When looking at the history of the offshore oil exploration and extraction industry, it’s essential to look at some of the moments that have defined the industry—even if they’re bad moments. Examining oil rig disasters in history helps us learn about what went wrong. What changes could a company have made to its operations? What methods should oil rigs around the world adopt to stop another ...
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Posted By Arnold & Itkin LLP
10 years ago, the nation was shocked by the deadliest oil rig explosion and fire in its history. When the Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, 2010, it claimed the lives of 11 workers, injured many others, and triggered one of the worst environmental disasters in United States history. It took two days for the Deepwater Horizon to sink and nearly three months to stop its well from leaking 210 ...
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Posted By Arnold & Itkin LLP
Arnold & Itkin Attorneys Noah M. Wexler and Ben Bireley recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Shell employee who is suffering after a lifeboat fell from an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The incident killed two other workers and caused our client to sustain serious injuries to his head, neck, back, shoulder, knee, and other parts of his body. Offshore work is some of the most dangerous and ...
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Posted By Arnold & Itkin LLP
Arnold & Itkin is currently representing a young man who sustained serious injuries while working on an offshore rig. Our client’s injuries occurred because of an oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. He is suffering because of burns and injuries to his knee and other parts of his body. We filed this case against the large offshore drilling company that owned the rig our client was working on ...
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Posted By Arnold & Itkin LLP
In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon erupted into flames after repeated neglect caused the offshore oil rig to explode. The disaster claimed the lives of 11 workers and injured 17 more. The well beneath the rig leaked for months and polluted the Gulf of Mexico with over 4.9 million barrels of oil. It was the worst oil spill in history—at least it was at the time. The Taylor oil spill, which started 6 ...
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Posted By Arnold & Itkin LLP
Despite being built to withstand the ocean's fury, hurricanes can be disastrous for oil rigs and offshore oil platforms. In the Gulf of Mexico alone, the industry relies on hundreds of rigs to shrug off the disastrous effects of multiple hurricanes every season. To compensate for the great strain put on these rigs by hurricanes, supervisors must follow strict processes and safety procedures to ...
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Posted By Arnold & Itkin LLP
Living and working on an island with two weeks off every month sounds like the dream. For offshore workers, it’s their life—and while it has its upsides, it's certainly not always a "dream." While the schedule sounds lightweight, it is purposefully designed to provide a built-in balance to the long, arduous hours and close quarters aboard the rig. Cities in their own right, offshore rigs have a ...
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Posted By Arnold & Itkin LLP
We’re coming up on one year post-Hurricane Harvey and Irma, and communities are still reeling from the damage caused by the massive winds and rain. While the news was rightfully focused on the homes and businesses that were devastated on land, there was a quieter, more indirect type of damage inflicted on Texas’ economy: disruption to the oil industry. 2005’s Harsh Lesson for the Oil Industry Over ...
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Posted By Arnold & Itkin LLP
As of last evening, the U.S. Coast Guard has ceased its search for the missing rig worker in Lake Pontchartrain. Their search was conducted over nearly 24 hours nonstop, utilizing 10 search missions covering 90 square miles. In a statement, the Coast Guard sent their thoughts and prayers to the family of Timothy Morrison, 44, who was left missing when a gas and oil storage rig exploded on Sunday ...
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Posted By Arnold & Itkin LLP
Update: the rig was originally reported as an oil rig, but some sources report it is actually a natural gas storage rig. On Sunday night, an oil rig exploded in Lake Pontchartrain in St. Charles Parish, LA. According to the Kenner Police Department spokesman, rescue boats had been dispatched from the Kenner Boat Launch; the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office is assisting. He went on to say there ...
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Arnold & Itkin, LLP recently filed a case involving a man who was injured aboard a fixed oil production platform when he was instructed to lift a compressor weighing over 300 pounds without being provided proper safety equipment to complete the task. As a result of this negligent tasking, the man sustained injuries to his neck, back, and shoulders. It’s the supervisor’s job to ensure that everyone ...
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Posted By Arnold & Itkin LLP
The dangers of offshore drilling only exponentially increase as rigs drill deeper than they ever have before. In the frenetic search for new resources to relieve the scarcity of oil deposits, boundaries are being pushed, tested, and occasionally crossed altogether. As technology strives to keep up with the demand, offshore oil companies invest millions, even billions, into their rigs in order to ...
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Posted By Arnold & Itkin LLP
An Exclusive Economic Zone is a region of the ocean just offshore that belongs to the state government onshore. This zone was declared by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 to include the waters 200 miles from the shore. In accordance with the International Law of the Sea, other countries also declared similar types of zones. As a result, each state has the ability to fully utilize and harvest the ...
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The United States Coast Guard recently issued new rules that focus on offshore electrical safety. The new regulations expand the list of international explosion protection standards that must be met for offshore drilling sites. Most notably, all electrical equipment must now meet certification standards of either National Regulations or the International Electrotechnical Commission Systems for ...
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Five years ago today the country saw the most devastating offshore oil spill disaster in U.S. history. Now, as the memory of Deepwater Horizon is brought up again in the minds of those who work within the industry and suffered environmental effects alike, it is time to examine what has been done in those years since the accident. Improved Training Leads to No Measurable Benefits While many ...
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One worker was killed and at least three other workers were injured when an offshore oil rig exploded on Thursday afternoon. The Echo Platform oil rig, which was operated by the Houston-based Fieldwood Energy, exploded around 3pm about 12 miles off the coast of New Orleans. The injured workers are being treated at a nearby medical facility onshore. All of the injured and deceased workers were ...
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Posted By Offshore Accident Lawyer
You might think most offshore injuries occur as a result of dramatic explosions or terrible fires, but the truth is much simpler. The majority of injuries to offshore workers are a result of slips, trips, and falls. These accidents are simple to prevent, but require operating companies to diligently maintain the safety of their walkways. Companies are legally responsible to keep walkways safe. ...
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