US employees of Aberdeen energy services company PSN played an important part in Thursday’s rescue of 13 workers after a fire on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico.
Staff from the firm, based at Dyce, were on a nearby installation when they noticed smoke pouring from the Mariner Energy platform.
PSN’s operations manager Herb Gaspard alerted the US Coast Guard, and then arranged for a vessel to rescue the crew from the water.
After being taken to safety, they were examined by PSN paramedic Jeremy Rouyea.
Mr Rouyea said: “When all of the personnel arrived on the platform, they were visibly shaken, but appeared to be in good health.
“Towels and blankets were given to the men to help avoid hypothermia.
“They were exhausted from being in the water for two hours but were thankful to all rescuers for their safety.
“Later that evening I was contacted by a Coast Guard lieutenant thanking us for our immediate recognition and response.
“Given the circumstances, everything went as well as it could, no one was injured, the fire was put out and the industry can now begin to pick up the pieces and find out what happened, to prevent this kind of incident again in the future.”
Thursday’s incident happened less than five months after the Deepwater Horizon tragedy in the gulf.
The rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers and setting off one of the worst oil spills in history.
The US government launched an investigation yesterday into the Mariner Energy platform fire. The Coast Guard said there were no signs of crude oil leaking from the offshore platform.
Michael Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, said: “We will use all available resources to ensure that we find out what happened, how it happened, and what enforcement action should be taken if any laws or regulations were violated.”
The US Coast Guard had a vessel monitoring the platform through the night and said early yesterday that there were no signs of pollution in the Gulf.
Helicopters headed to the platform, located about 100 miles south of Vermilion, Louisiana, to survey the water for signs of oil.
The cause of the platform fire remains under investigation as company officials had yet to inspect the rig, said Patrick Cassidy, director of investor relations for Houston-based Mariner.
Automated shut-off equipment turned off the flow of oil and gas from the platform’s seven producing wells, according to the company.