Despite Salvage Efforts, Offshore Rig Continues To Plummet
The world's largest offshore oil rig resumed sinking as rough seas impeded efforts to salvage it four days after blasts ripped through the structure, killing 10, the Brazilian owners said on Monday. After stabilizing the 40-story platform for a day and raising hopes it could be saved, the rig sank another 1.3 ft. (0.3 m) Sunday night and keeled over even further, Brazil's state oil giant Petrobras said. "There is still no estimate for how long it will take to stabilize the platform," a Petrobras spokesman said. Three explosions rocked the rig early last Thursday, killing 10 of the 175 men aboard and seriously injuring another. Petrobras, the biggest company in Brazil, was still trying to determine the cause of the explosions.
Worlds Largest Rig Still Afloat
Crews managed to prevent the world's largest offshore oil rig from sinking farther into the sea on Monday, four days after explosions crippled its structure and killed 10, its Brazilian owners said. They said the 40-story platform belonging to Brazil's state oil giant Petrobras had stabilized by Monday evening after workers pumped enough water out of the submerged compartments. They are injecting nitrogen and compressed air in a bid to remove nearly 3,000 tons of water weighing down the rig. Even so, the platform was listing more than ever, at a 27-degree angle. In the last 24 hours it has sunk 1.3 feet (40 cm). The platform has sunk almost 15 feet (4.6 m) since the blasts.
