Transocean Oil Rig Explosion: All about the Deepwater Horizon Semisubmersible Rig

 The company at the center of the massive offshore explosion in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coastline yesterday, is Transocean. It is one of the world's largest offshore drilling rig contractors. The Deepwater Horizon is owned by Transocean. It is 396 feet long and 256 feet wide. It is a semisubmersible offshore rig, and was manufactured in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries Shipyards.  The rig is located in approximately 5,000 feet of water in the Macondo prospect in an area called the Mississippi Canyon Block 252. The Deepwater Horizon is designed to drill in water depths of up to 8,000 feet. The rig's maximum drill depth is approximately 5.5 miles. It has an accommodation capacity of up to 130 crewmembers. At the time of the explosion, there were 126 workers on board the rig. The rig is on lease to BP until September 2013. In September 2009, BP decided to extend its lease for three more years. For this, it is expected to pay an additional $3.4 million a year in rent. Last year, Transocean announced that the Deepwater Horizon had drilled approximately 6 miles, the deepest oil well on record, while drilling for BP in the Gulf of Mexico. Maritime lawyer Brian Beckom is a Board-Certified Trial Lawyer, whose primary focus is the representation of injured drillers, roustabouts, roughnecks, and other offshore and oil rig workers in offshore accidents in Texas, Louisiana, along the Gulf Coast, across the country and in international waters.