WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- An explosion last week on a rig in the Gulf of Mexico is a reminder of the dangers of working offshore, a U.S. lawmaker said.
Black Elk Energy, a company operating offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, announced it hired a commercial dive team to look for a missing rig worker after the U.S. Coast Guard announced it was suspending search and rescue efforts.
The company last week confirmed that a fire erupted on its oil platform drilling about 17 miles south of Louisiana in shallow waters.
The explosion came one day after BP announced a settlement related to the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the worst offshore spill.
U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, said the Black Elk incident "raises a number of questions" about safety measures in place for offshore rig work.
"This is yet another reminder that our work on oil drilling safety is not complete," he said in a statement.
Black Elk's platform wasn't in operation at the time. Fire erupted as rig workers used a torch to cut an oil pipeline on the platform.
The company said there was no visible oil sheen near the site of the incident.
