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The explosion occurred just before 3 p.m. CST (2 p.m. EST) at
West Delta 105, about 12 miles (19 km) off the coast of New
Orleans, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
said in a statement.
"The Echo Platform was not in production at the time of the
incident. The facility damage was limited to the explosion area
and there was no pollution reported," it said.
The agency said three people were injured and were being treated
at an onshore medical facility.
In a statement, Fieldwood said one employee of a contractor was
killed and a second contractor employee was seriously injured.
There was no explanation for the discrepancy in the number of
injured.
Fieldwood said the platform was undamaged and that it had few
details about the accident.
"This was an isolated incident that has been fully contained,"
it said.
The U.S. safety agency said it was coordinating with the Coast
Guard on the response and would investigate the incident.
Fieldwood has become the largest player in the shallower
continental shelf region of the U.S. Gulf. The Houston-based
company is owned by private equity firm Riverstone Holdings LLC.
Fieldwood bought Apache Corp's Gulf shelf assets for $3.75
billion in July 2013. It acquired SandRidge Energy Inc's Gulf
assets for $750 million in January.
(Editing by Himani Sarkar)
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