Federal regulators warned the oil company whose platform suffered a deadly fire last week that it must improve its operations or face possible revocation of its license to operate in the Gulf of Mexico, reports WWWLTV.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement sent a letter to Black Elk Energy of Houston and its CEO and president John Hoffman, telling him that his company has until Dec. 15 to come up with a plan to improve safety operations.
The letter also notes the company’s shoddy safety record in its two years of approved operations in the Gulf. It cited “a number of significant safety violations that demonstrate a disregard for the safety of personnel.”
Company spokeswoman Erin Dow said Black Elk is working with the BSEE regulators in the wake of Friday’s accident.
“We appreciate the perspective of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement,” Dow said in an email to WWL-TV. “Safety is a high priority for Black Elk Energy and we will continue to work cooperatively with local and national federal agencies to understand exactly what happened with the incident at our platform in the Gulf of Mexico.”
One worker was killed in the explosion and fire, another is missing and presumed dead and four more suffered serious burns.
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