WWL-TV: Professor: Rare for Anyone to be on Shallow Water Platforms

Eric Smith, associate director of the Tulane Energy Institute and professor of practice at the A. B. Freeman School of Business, spoke with WWL-TV's Lauren Gale about oil and gas production in Lake Pontchartrain in the wake of Sunday night's explosion and fire aboard a platform.

"You don't see permanent crews unless you're pretty far off shore in deep water," Smith said.

He thinks because a crew was out on the platform they were doing maintenance on the equipment.

"What I suspect happened is you have a contract crew out there doing maintenance and someone cut into the wrong pipe," Smith said.

To see the story in its entirety, visit wwltv.com.

http://www.wwltv.com/news/professor-rare-for-anyone-to-be-on-shallow-water-platforms/