Parker Drilling jackup rig collapses

Parker Drilling said it is trying to determine what caused one of its jack-up rigs to collapse the afternoon of Sept. 11 in the Gulf of Mexico, forcing the evacuation of all 41 crew members. Twelve were sent to the hospital, but no serious injuries were reported.

Parker was preparing to launch drilling operations for Manti Operating Co., a small exploration and production independent based in Corpus Christi, Texas, when a “malfunction” apparently caused one side of the company's J-14 jackup to partially submerge, “resulting in the loss of drilling rig equipment overboard,” Parker said.

The incident occurred about six miles from the Chandeleur Islands along the Mississippi-Louisiana coast, in about 40 feet of water on Chandeleur Block 27. The crew was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and commercial vessels.

The Coast Guard said about 10,500 gallons of diesel fuel was on board the J-14 jack-up, and at least some was observed leaking into the water. “The exact cause of the accident remains unknown and will be investigated by the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office” in New Orleans, a Coast Guard statement said.