Rig Repairs Ongoing with Completion Expected Tomorrow
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – Repairs are well underway at the oil platform involved in an offshore incident last week. According to Magellan E&P, the owner of the platform, all repairs are anticipated to be completed Tuesday barring any unforeseen issues.
The repair ship arrived at the rig early this morning which is located two miles from North Padre Island’s shoreline near Bob Hall Pier. The repair ship has a SONAR team, a repair crew and equipment, and a wide variety of replacement parts.
As part of a safety assessment, the SONAR team scanned the bottom of the platform and found it to be clear and stabilized. Crews then anchored the repair ship into place so that repairs could begin safely.
Air monitoring continues and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) assures residents the air quality, the beach and citizens remain safe and no action is needed.
Out of an abundance of caution, the US Coast Guard (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 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 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.
Last week, the USCG received a report of white smoke billowing with a loud sound from an unmanned platform. The white plume consisted of natural gas, naturally occurring condensate and water. Since then, the plume has significantly diminished to an estimated 5% of its original size.
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 overlooking the incident and say the City - County beaches on Padre Island are safe and there is no danger to the public.
The City of Corpus Christi will continue providing daily updates to the community. Stay informed with the City's channels on Facebook @citygov, Twitter @cityofcc, or visit www.news.cctexas.com.