A fire at a Gulf of Mexico oil production platform has been extinguished by automated shutdown equipment.
The flow of oil and gas from seven wells serving the elderly Vermilion Block platform was successfully turned off the Houston based exploration and production company Mariner Energy said.
The crew of 13 on the platform jumped into the sea after donning immersion suits and were safely rescued by a nearby offshore supply vessel named as the Crystal Clear.
The US Coast Guard said none of the crew had sustained serious injury and there was no evidence of oil on the water although air surveillance would continue.
Mariner Energy is in the process of being taken over by another Texas based E&P company, Apache Corp in a $2.7 billion cash and shares deal.
The platform that caught fire is 30 years old and stands in 340 foot of water about 100 miles off Louisiana.
Mariner Energy has been a member of the Bermuda based industry mutual Oil Insurance Ltd since 2006.
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
