GUILTY LA - Three killed in offshore oil platform explosion off Grand Isle, 16 Nov 2012

An oil and gas rig off the coast of Louisiana was hit by an explosion and fire this morning, leaving crew members missing.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that a Black Elk Energy Co. oil and natural gas platform had some sort of explosion occur in the gulf, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky over the water.

Two people are missing and "probably overboard," according to Coast Guard spokesman Carlos Vega.

Four people aboard the platform were airlifted for medical treatment.

Click to expand...

GARLAND, Texas - An explosion and fire have erupted at the Ashland, Inc. chemical plant in Garland.

Click to expand...

Justice Department officials say in a statement that a grand jury has indicted two companies on involuntary manslaughter charges and three people with other criminal charges stemming from a deadly 2012 explosion and fire on an oil production platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

A third company also faces criminal charges related to the explosion...

The 2012 blast off Louisiana's coast killed three workers and injured several others. The three welders who died worked for Grand Isle Shipyard. They were Avelino Tajonera, 49; Ellroy Corporal, 42; and Jerome Malagapo, 28.

Click to expand...

U.S. District Judge Jane Triche-Milazzo in Louisiana set the trial date for the case against Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations LLC and others for Jan. 17, 2017. The trial is expected to last for four weeks...

In a November statement responding to the charges, Wood Group PSN noted it was one of six contractors working on the platform when the incident occurred. The company also said it was not notified that "hot work" was going to occur at the particular unit on the day of the incident and "would have taken appropriate action to isolate the unit as our safety policies and procedures dictate."

Click to expand...

A settlement Monday brought an abrupt end to a complex trial combining 10 lawsuits arising from a deadly explosion and fire on an offshore oil platform in November 2012...

Those involved in the cases included relatives of the workers killed, injured workers and companies that were working for Black Elk. Settlements on some of the claims and counterclaims were reached before and during the trial. The final settlement was announced Monday morning and a jury seated a week earlier was dismissed.

Charles Talley, attorney for Black Elk, and Frank Spagnoletti, representing some of the injured workers, said terms were confidential.

Click to expand...

Texas-based Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations has been sentenced... on eight felony violations of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and one misdemeanor count of violating the Clean Water Act. Black Elk has been ordered to pay a $4.2 million fine. However, due to the company's bankruptcy, the $4.2 million will be a general unsecured claim against the company's estate.

This case is related to the recent conviction of Wood Group PSN in the Western District of Louisiana for their role in operations on the platform. Wood Group PSN was ordered to pay $7 million for falsely reporting over several years that personnel had performed safety inspections on offshore facilities in the Gulf of Mexico and $1.8 million for negligently discharging oil into the Gulf of Mexico in violation of the Clean Water Act after the explosion.

Click to expand...