WORKERS BRING OIL PLATFORM'S GAS LEAK UNDER CONTROL.Byline: Staff and Wire Services OXNARD - A leak of explosive natural gas forced dozens of workers to evacuate an offshore oil platform for hours Thursday but no damage or injuries were reported. The leak in a well aboard Platform Gail about 10 a.m. led 39 workers to evacuate, while 15 others stayed on the platform and were able to stop the gas released from a wellhead well·head n. 1. The source of a well or stream. 2. A principal source; a fountainhead. 3. The structure built over a well. wellhead Noun 1. shortly after 12:30 p.m., officials said. Mike Edwards, a spokesman for Carpinteria-based Venoco Inc., which purchased the well from Chevron in 1999, said no one was injured and ``there was never a risk to the public associated with this release.'' Part of the natural gas was made up of hydrogen sulfide hydrogen sulfide, chemical compound, H2S, a colorless, extremely poisonous gas that has a very disagreeable odor, much like that of rotten eggs. It is slightly soluble in water and is soluble in carbon disulfide. that Edwards said was poisonous at high concentrations. ``Concentrations did not reach a level that was immediately dangerous to platform personnel,'' he said. ``The platform has numerous fixed hydrogen sulfide detectors and all personnel have training and equipment to safely work around H2S H2S Hydrogen Sulfide H2S How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Also abbreviated H2$) H2S Heart to Soul (song) .'' All but one of the evacuated workers were picked up from lifeboats by Coast Guard vessels and taken to shore, while one remained in a fireboat fire·boat n. A boat equipped to fight fires along waterfronts and on ships. Noun 1. fireboat - a boat equipped to fight fires on ships or along a waterfront boat - a small vessel for travel on water , said Coast Guard Petty Officer Prentice Danner, a spokesman in San Pedro. About 2 p.m., the Ventura County Fire Department Not to be confused with Ventura Fire Department. The Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) provides fire protection and emergency response services for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California, and for six other cities within the county. declared the platform safe enough for all the workers to return. Some of the workers complained of seasickness seasickness: see motion sickness. but otherwise were uninjured, the Coast Guard reported. No impacts on wildlife were reported, Edwards said. The Coast Guard and fire officials said the gas presented a fire hazard around the platform, but not on shore nine nautical miles away. Platform Gail in the Santa Barbara Channel The Santa Barbara Channel is that part of the Pacific Ocean which separates the mainland of California from the northern Channel Islands. It is generally south of the city of Santa Barbara, and west of the city of Ventura. is one of about 30 oil platforms off the California coast. The rig has pumped about 30 million barrels of oil and about 83 billion cubic feet of natural gas since 1988, according to the Minerals Management Service. It was unclear how much gas escaped. The platform reportedly produces 10 million cubic feet of gas and 4,500 barrels of oil daily. All oil and gas production on the platform was halted during the emergency, according to the service, which is responsible for safety inspections of oil platforms and plans to investigate the leak. The platform, which stands six stories above the water, has a good safety record, with only a handful of tiny oil spills recorded. |
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