Coast Guard: Oil drilling rig overturns en route to La. scrap yard; no leaks detected
By APFriday, April 30, 2010
Oil rig overturns in La.; no leaks detected
MORGAN CITY, La. — Officials say an oil drilling rig on its way to a scrap yard has overturned in Louisiana.
No injuries have been reported. The overturned rig is unrelated to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that threatens the coast’s fragile ecosystem.
The Coast Guard said Friday that the rig overturned about 80 miles west-southwest of New Orleans.
It can carry about 20,000 gallons of diesel fuel, but Coast Guard officials did not know how much fuel was on board. Coast Guard investigators say no fuel leaks have been found.
About 500 feet of boom has been set up around the rig to contain any fuel that might leak as a precaution.
Tina Moore, the owner of T. Moore Services, which owned the rig, says it was being transported to a demolition and scrap yard. She says the rig was mounted on a barge.
