30 March 2014 – A Gulf of Mexico production facility was forced to shut in Friday afternoon after suffering a brief electrical blackout, US regulators said.
Talos Energy unit Energy Resource Technology (ERT) reported the electricity problem and emergency disconnect at the Helix Producer 1 at around 1:45 pm Friday, according to the US Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).
Talos estimated less than a gallon of oil was spilled in the incident and the production unit remains shut in at present, BSEE said.
The floating production ship began output from the Phoenix field last May. Talos purchased the ERT upstream unit from Helix Energy Solutions in a 2012 deal.
The ship is about 100 miles south-west of Houma, Louisiana, with its initial production well in Green Canyon Block 237.
ERT struggled with another offshore incident in July 2013 when a platform on Ship Shoal Block 225 suffered a pair of well-control incidents leading to the release of gas condensate.
Talos is backed by investment funds Apollo Global Management and Riverstone Holdings which committed up to $600 million in equity to Talos in February of 2012.
*Kathrine Schmidt – upstreamonline