An offshore worker died tragically over the weekend, following an accident aboard a Talos Energy, LLC oil and gas drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
The incident occurred shortly after 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 17th, in an area of the Gulf known as West Cameron 215A, about 64 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
An unidentified, third-party construction worker was seriously injured while removing firewater piping. He later died from his injuries.
No other workers were hurt. The accident was not related to any type of fire or release.
“This is a tragic event and we extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends and co-workers of our colleague,” Talos said in a prepared statement.
Gulf of Mexico Platform Operated by Energy Resource Technology
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Talos Energy is an independent oil & gas company focused on offshore exploration and production. It was created by two private equity firms – Apollo Global Management and Riverstone Holdings – in 2012.
The following year, Talos acquired Energy Resource Technology, the subsidiary that was leading operations on the platform where Saturday’s fatal accident occurred.
The last Talos platform fatality was reported in October 2013, just a few months after the company was placed on a performance improvement plan by federal regulators.
In 2016, Energy Resources Technology entered a guilty plea to several felony violations associated with its offshore activities. As part of the federal settlement, the company agreed to pay $4.2 million in penalties and was subject to three years of probation. Talos self-reported the violations that led to the accord.
29 Killed in Offshore Drilling Rig Accidents Between 2009 and 2016
According to Reuters, 29 people died in offshore drilling accidents between 2009 and 2016, including 11 workers who were killed during the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon offshore rig in April 2010.
Many now fear that that these types of fatal accidents will become more frequent, in light of the Trump Administration’s plans to open nearly all U.S. coastal waters to drilling.
The administration is also pushing to rollback many of the safety regulations enacted in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, including vital well control rules, as well as those that require third-party inspections of critical equipment.
The Trump Administration has also proposed bringing back the controversial Minerals Management Service (MMS), which faced heavy criticism after the Deepwater Horizon disaster for its conflict-ridden relationship with offshore drillers.
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Our Undefeated Offshore Injury Lawyers are investigating the fatal accident aboard the Talos Energy Gulf of Mexico platform and will post an update should more information become available.
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