Jackup Rig Badly Damaged After being Struck by Tanker in Gulf of Mexico

Posted in Gulf Coast,Jones Act,Texas Maritime News on May 2, 2012

The Rowan EXL-1, a mobile offshore drilling unit, has reportedly been badly damaged after being struck by a tanker that had apparently lost propulsion near Port Aransas.  

According to the U.S.C.G initial statement, watchstanders at Sector Corpus Christi received a report at 7:25 a.m., that the Rowan EXL-1 and the 750-foot tanker FR8 Pride had collided in the Aransas Channel, near buoy 3.

The Rowan EXL-1 reportedly “suffered significant damage, resulting in a minor hydraulic oil leak from a damaged crane,” the USCG says.  The crew was then able to move the MODU with the help of nearby tugs further offshore and stabilized it by deploying its legs.

Meanwhile, the crew of the FR8 Pride reported flooding in a forward ballast tank, but were able to control the flooding and ground the FR8 Pride approximately two miles offshore.

No injuries have been reported so far.

The Rowan EXL-1 is a Marshall Islands-flagged jackup drilling rig that is owned and operated by Rowan.  The MODU was built by Keppel Fels at the Keppel AmFELS shipyard in Brownsville, TX. The vessel was delivered in 2010.

A video of an overflight of the Rowan EXL-1 can be found on the USCG website.