美国海上钻井平台起火

 　　HOUSTON, July 24 (Xinhua) -- An out-of-control natural gas well ignited a fire on a rig off the coast of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the Gulf¹ of Mexico, and the raging blaze has caused its production platform to collapse², authorities said on Wednesday.

　　The rig caught fire on Tuesday night hours after the gas well was found spewing out of control, prompting the evacuation of 44 workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).

　　The fire, which burned through the night, caused the beams supporting the derrick and rig floor to fold and collapse over the rig structure on Wednesday morning, the BSEE said in a press release.

　　No one was on board at the time of the fire and nobody was injured, the BSEE said. The source of the ignition remained unknown.

　　The agency added that no sheens were observed on the water surface near the well during flyovers³ on Wednesday morning, indicating that the gas is burning off with no sign of oil or other hydrocarbons⁴ being released into the water.

　　Two firefighting vessels⁶ in the area responded to the fire and have now been relocated to a safe distance. A third vessel⁵ is en route. One Coast Guard vessel is on site, assessing the situation, and a second one is expected to arrive on Wednesday afternoon.

　　The Coast Guard has reportedly kept nautical⁷ traffic out of an area within 500 meters of the site throughout the day. The Federal Aviation Administration also restricted aircraft up to 600 meters above the area.

　　The blowout occurred on Tuesday morning at a shallow-water well about 88 km offshore⁸ in 47 meters of water, as the crew were completing work on a sidetrack well to prepare that well for new production.

　　The rig is owned by Houston-based Hercules Offshore and operated by Walter Oil & Gas Corp. The two companies are reportedly working together with the federal authorities to curb⁹ the uncontrolled gas flow. The BSEE said that Walter Oil & Gas has begun preparations to move a jack-up rig on location to potentially drill a relief well.

　　It remains¹⁰ unclear what caused the gas blowout. Authorities said that there is no oil spill, and that the magnitude of this accident cannot parallel the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

　　In 2010, BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the Louisiana coast, leading to a blowout that lasted for almost three months and spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf. It was the worst accidental marine¹¹ oil spill in the history of the petroleum¹² industry.

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

3 flyovers   

n.立交桥，高架公路( flyover的名词复数 )；（单机或编队）低空飞行

参考例句：

• Flyovers have changed the face of the city. 立交桥改变了城市的面貌。 来自辞典例句
• To a limited extent one can compare Beijing to Delhi. Wide roads, flyovers andand formal atmosphere. 在某种程度上，可以把北京与德里做个比较：宽阔的马路、立交桥、城市氛围等。 来自互联网

4 hydrocarbons   

n.碳氢化合物，烃( hydrocarbon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hydrocarbons (HC), like carbon monoxide, represent unburned and wasted fuel. 碳氢化合物(HC)像一氧化碳一样，为未燃尽的和被浪费掉的燃料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• With this restricted frequency range it is not applicable to hydrocarbons. 这个较紧缩的频率范围不适用于烃类。 来自辞典例句

5 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

6 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 nautical   

adj.海上的，航海的，船员的

参考例句：

• A nautical mile is 1,852 meters.一海里等于1852米。
• It is 206 nautical miles from our present location.距离我们现在的位置有206海里。

8 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

9 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

12 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。