A fire on an offshore platform in the Gulf of Mexico created a media furor yesterday. Several of the initial news reports contained inaccuracies that tended to exacerbate America's heightened awareness of--and sensitivity to--offshore drilling. The reaction was predictable: Politicians demanded answers, and environmental groups called on the government to keep the drilling moratorium in effect.

As we've stated before on this blog, the oil and natural gas industry believes no accident is acceptable. Offshore workers are trained in the proper way to manage operations and are drilled in safety precautions. We're thankful that all 13 crew members on the platform are accounted for.

The Mariner Energy platform fire was an industrial accident that should not be compared to the Deepwater Horizon.... more »

On the same day President Obama announced his offshore drilling plan, Shell announced that it "smashed the water depth record for an offshore oil drilling and production by over 50%" by starting oil production at its Perdido platform.

Perdido is the world's deepest offshore oil development project. Positioned in 8,000 feet of water on top of a mammoth floating steel cylinder, the platform is expected to produce about 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, enough to fulfill the energy needs of 2.2 million households. Perdido is located about 200 south of Texas in the ultra-deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Chevron and BP are partners with Shell on the project.

Perdido will develop hydrocarbons from three fields called Great White, Silvertip and Tobago. Together they contain an estimated... more »