CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Repairs are expected to begin early Monday morning at the oil platform involved in an offshore incident last week.
According to Magellan E&P, the owner of the platform, a lift boat arrived at the rig around noon Sunday. The rig is located two miles from North Padre Island’s shoreline near Bob Hall Pier.
The repair ship has a SONAR team, a repair crew and equipment and a wide variety of replacement parts.
As part of a safety assessment, the SONAR team scanned the seafloor around the platform and found it to be clear and stabilized. Crews are now moving the ship into place and anchoring it so that the repairs can begin soon.
Air monitoring continues and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality assures residents the air quality, the beach and citizens remain safe and no action is needed.
Out of an abundance of caution, the USCG has established a Temporary Flight Restriction zone for aircraft of any kind including drones that extends one mile around and 500 feet above the platform.
Additionally, they have identified an 800-meter safety zone around the platform which must not be crossed by any vessel without the permission of the Coast Guard.
Due to safety issues, the company is asking the public not to fly any drones over the area. Citizens are also reminded beach access from the Bob Hall Pier parking lot is temporarily closed by Nueces County for heavy equipment to conduct debris removal from Hurricane Hanna.
Earlier this week, the US Coast Guard received a report of white smoke billowing with a loud sound from an unmanned platform. The white plume consisted of natural gas, naturally occurring condensate and water.
Since then, the plume has significantly diminished to an estimated 5% of its original size.
The City of Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Magellan E&P, USCG, TCEQ, the Texas General Land Office and the Railroad Commission of Texas continue overlooking the incident and say the city-county beaches on Padre Island are safe and there is no danger to the public.
