Crews continued to work Friday to stop natural gas flowing from a drilling rig off the Louisiana coast, and the Coast Guard said workers had managed to cut the flow in half.
Officials lost control of the rig Thursday, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. No injuries or pollution have been reported.
BSEE said most crew members were evacuated from the rig, which was drilling in 262 feet of water about 108 miles southwest of Lafayette.
The rig operator is EnVen Energy Ventures of Metairie, La.
EnVen Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Garrett said gas, water and sand are flowing, but no pollution has reached the Gulf of Mexico. Gas is being vented off the rig while crews work to kill the well, he added.Work is underway to secure the well, said Deanna Castillo, a spokeswoman for rig owner Rowan Companies.
“All personnel currently aboard the rig are safe and non-essential personnel have been evacuated, all well control equipment is functioning as designed (and) there has been no environmental impact,” she said Thursday.