Boat Assisting in Rig Repairs on Schedule

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – Work is expected to get underway this weekend to repair valves on an unmanned oil rig two miles north of Padre Island’s shoreline near Bob Hall Pier. A boat on its way to Port Aransas from Galveston is ahead of schedule and will be arriving Saturday. It will be used to transport crews and equipment to the platform to make repairs.

A leak comprised of natural gas, naturally occurring condensate, and water from the offshore rig was reported to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Tuesday. No injuries were reported, and the owner of the platform, Magellan E&P, said the natural gas plume has diminished to only an estimated 5% of what it was originally, and the loud hissing noise continues to be nearly eliminated.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is checking air monitoring stations twice daily and reports no detection of any hazardous materials in the air. Additionally, the ocean and beaches continue to remain safe. There continues to be no threat to citizens and no action is required by residents.

The City of Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Magellan E&P, USCG, TCEQ, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) continue to monitor the incident and say the City – County beaches on Padre Island are safe and there is no danger to the public.

Out of an abundance of caution, the USCG has established a Temporary Flight Restriction zone (TFR) for aircraft of any kind including drones that extends one mile around and 500-feet above the platform. In addition, they have identified an 800-meter safety zone around the platform which must not be crossed by any vessel without the permission of the Coast Guard. Due to safety issues, the company is asking the public not to fly any drones over the area. Citizens are also reminded that beach access from the Bob Hall Pier parking lot is temporarily closed by Nueces County for heavy equipment to conduct debris removal from Hurricane Hanna.

The City of Corpus Christi will continue to provide daily updates to the community. Residents can get the latest information on City social channels at Facebook @citygov, at Twitter cityofcc, or visit www.news.cctexas.com.