Mariner Energy, Inc. shares dropped more than 4% Thursday following news that one of its production platforms exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Mariner shares lost 96 cents, more than 4%, at $22.39 in afternoon trading.

Mariner Energy, owner and operator of the Vermilion 380 offshore production platform that exploded and caught fire about 9:30 am Central Daylight time on Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico, reports a “slight sheen” on the water measuring about one nautical mile by about 100 feet.

An offshore oil rig has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, about 80 miles south of Louisiana’s Vermilion Bay. This is west of the site of the April 20 Deepwater Horizon blast that caused the massive oil spill.

Statoil has awarded to Aker Solutions Marulk tie-in to the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Norne. Aker Solutions estimates the value of the work to be approximately NOK 120 million.

INPEX Corp., through its wholly-owned subsidiary INPEX Alpha Ltd., has commenced crude oil production from the BHP Billiton operated Ravensworth field in the production license area WA-43-L offshore Western Australia.

Houston-based oilfield services company Halliburton has been awarded a contract by Eni to provide a range of integrated energy services toward the redevelopment of the Zubair field in southern Iraq.

Baker Hughes has received notice that the Antitrust Division of the US DOJ has approved Superior Energy Services as the purchaser of the two stimulation vessels and certain other assets used to perform sand control services in the US Gulf of Mexico.

Houston-based Pride International Inc. has dedicated the second of its four new deepwater drillships under construction by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea, the Deep Ocean Clarion.

Houston-based oilfield services company Halliburton has been awarded a letter of intent by Shell Iraq Petroleum Development B.V. for the development of the Majnoon field in Southern Iraq.