Whether you work in Louisiana, or in Mexico, working on an off-shore oil rig can be dangerous. An accident last month in Mexican waters demonstrated just how dangerous this kind of work can be.

 
Eighteen oil workers lost their lives last month when an oil drilling rig hit an oil platform off the coast of Mexico during a storm. The collision caused oil and gas to spill into the sea. Workers stayed with the rig despite 25-foot waves until the leaking gas rose to unbearable levels and air from the emergency breathing devices ran out. At that time, workers boarded covered life rafts.

 
The life rafts did not hold up well to the powerful storm waves. The rafts broke up and the workers were tossed to sea.

 
The Mexican Navy rescued 61 workers. The workers who died included four Pemex employees, seven employees of the subcontracting company that operated the oil rig, one rescue boat crew member, and six other workers. The search continued for seven workers who were still missing. All those rescued are curently in stable condition.

 
The Usumacinta drilling rig was a mobile, self-raising drilling rig that was set up to drill a well close to the Kab 101 light-production platform. The force of the storm waves caused the rig’s “legs” to hit the valve assembly of the platform initiating the oil and gas leak. Officials said the spill would be controlled within 5 days.

 
The Usumacinta drilling rig is owned by the Compania Perforadora Central SA de CV and operates under contract to Pemex. The accident occurred approximately 20 miles offshore from the port of Dos Bocas in Tabasco, Mexico. It is unknown whether negligence contributed to the accident.

 
In the United States, the rights of maritime workers including those who work in the oil industry, are protected under the Jones Act and Maritime Law.