Rig Crew Blamed for 2013 Gas Well Blowout in Gulf of Mexico

A long-delayed federal investigative report into gas well blowout off the coast of Louisiana two years ago has faulted the drilling rig’s crew for a blowout that destroyed the well at a cost of nearly $60 million.

WWLTV reports that the findings of the investigation, released earlier this month, blames the drilling rig’s crew for not using a dense enough fluid to control natural gas in the well and for reacting too slowly when the blowout started.

The blowout occurred at the Walter Oil & Gas well off the central Louisiana coast July 23, 2013, destroying the Hercules Offshore-provided rig, which burned for 72 hours.

The Walter blowout was a natural gas well in shallow water and caused only minor injuries to some of the 44 crew members who were forced to evacuate.