Shell, Enbridge Face $1mn Lawsuit Over Enchilada Platform Fire
Three workers from Shell International and Exploration’s Enchilada platform in the Gulf of Mexico, which sustained an explosion and fire on November 8, have filed a $1mn lawsuit against Shell and Canadian pipeline firm Enbridge.
The suit, filed on December 5, claims safety lapses on the platform caused severe injuries to the three, and seeks more than $1mn in damages. Shell International, Shell Offshore and Garden Banks Gas Pipeline, a unit of Enbridge and owner of the gas pipeline connected to the platform, are named as defendants.
The suit claims the defendants “acted with flagrant and malicious disregard” for the health and safety of the workers leading up to the incident. It seeks a jury trial and more than $1mn in damage payments for the three workers, who “sustained severe injuries” to the head, neck, back and other parts of their bodies.
Enbridge, meanwhile, said December 21 it will be early January 2018 before it can provide any information on a potential return to service of the Garden Banks Pipeline, a 50-mile, 1bn ft3/day conduit taking produced natural gas from Enchilada, which was shut-in after the fire.
Enbridge had said in early December that it hoped to provide return to service information by December 27, but told customers just before Christmas that the latest delay was due to “unforeseen circumstances.”