The incident, which occurred on 5 November, set the rig ablaze but did not cause any reported pollution and no fatalities were recorded amongst the 16-man Russian crew of the Athina.

Speaking to the Associated Press, US Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Nick Wong said, “The 335-foot ship SCM Athina collided with the High Island 207 gas platform around 3 am Central time. Crews from two offshore supply vessels were able to put out the flames on the platform.”

“All gas lines on the platform, which sustained extensive damage, have been shut. The ship was sent under its own power to an anchorage off Galveston for further inspection while [we investigate] the cause of the accident [but] the pilot, entrusted to take vessels in and out of port, would already have left the outbound ship when it hit the platform,” added Wong.

Various other reports indicated the vessel suffered superstructure damage and had scrapes on its hull. The platform, which is a transfer point for various pipelines, allegedly sustained “substantial damage” with the deck still “smouldering” from the flames.

In a statement EOG spokesperson Elizabeth Ivers said, “EOG’s total Gulf of Mexico gas production is about 50 million cubic feet a day, a level not threatened by loss of the High Island 207 platform. The platform housed a low-producing well that had been shut for the past 30 days.”

“Our personnel are just arriving at the scene, so it’s too early to tell how badly damaged it is [and] the Coast Guard is working closely with EOG emergency response team members to assess the situation,” she added.