Apache Prevents Possible Well Blowout in Gulf Of Mexico

Oil and gas exploration company Apache Corporation has announced that it managed to prevent a possibly disastrous well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico recently.

According to the company, it identified an “abnormally pressured gas zone” during drilling operations conducted in the shallow water Main Pass 295 in the Gulf Of Mexico. The problem was detected on February 5. According to the company, it immediately acted to prevent a disaster by shutting down the well. Fortunately, the blowout preventers worked properly to prevent an accident.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has confirmed Apache’s statement. At the time of the incident, the company was drilling in approximately 218 feet of water. The company immediately evacuated all nonessential personnel from the drilling rig. The company has also confirmed that it is currently working with a well-control company to kill the well.

The importance of blowout preventers and the devastating consequences of well blowouts was spotlighted after the BP-operated Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, which made the term “blowout preventer“ very familiar to Americans.

The Deepwater Horizon blowout resulted in a massive explosion that destroyed the oil rig and killed 11 workers instantly. More than 100 workers were injured, and left traumatized by the disaster. The explosion also triggered a massive environmental spill as oil leaked from the Macondo well, in the largest environmental disaster in US history.

Work on an oil rig is never free from risks and hazards, most of which can be serious enough to kill workers. Although offshore safety regulations have been strengthened since the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, more needs to be done to ensure that offshore workers have access to a workplace environment that values safety over profits.

The Houston offshore injury lawyers at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., Accident & Injury Lawyers represent offshore workers injured in accidents in the Gulf of Mexico and across the globe.