BP shut in 13 MMcf/d of production from its platform in Grand Isle Block 93 after an explosion and fire early Friday on a jack-up drilling rig nearby.

No one was injured. The 55 people on the platform have been evacuated and accounted for. The operator of the drillship which caught fire, Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc., said there was no apparent pollution, and a detailed damage assessment will be conducted as soon as it is safe to board the rig.

Evaluation and repair may take several days, the drilling company said. Diamond Offshore had been doing some work for BP when the accident occurred.

©Copyright 2002 Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. The preceding news report may not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, in any form, without prior written consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.