Contract personnel were installing a pig trap on an 18-inch-diameter export gas pipeline on the platform. As a cold cut was made into the pipeline, hydrocarbons sprayed from the cut and ignited. The explosion and fire burned the main structure and caused subsequent explosions when six other pipelines ruptured due to the intense heat. The accident resulted in the total destruction of the platform and seven fatalities. It took two years to replace the platform.

[ Property Damage $400 Million. Estimated Current Value $899 Million ]

Image credit: ARCO