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    Fire in the Gulf

    Who is Mariner Energy? Houston firm that owns the latest oil rig to explode hasEnron and BP ties

    Sarah Rufca
    Sep 2, 2010 | 1:14 pm
    • Mariner Energy's logo
    • Scott D. Josey, chairman, CEO and president of Mariner Energy
    • Reports from the U.S. Coast Guard put the latest explosion of an oil platform inthe Gulf of Mexico about 128 kilometres off the Louisiana coast, west of thesite where BP's undersea well spilled after a rig explosion. The fire logo withthe blue line marks the approximate site of the Mariner Energy explosion. Theother icon notes the site of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and leak.
    • Mariner Energy headquarters in One Briar Lake Plaza on West Sam Houston ParkwaySouth in Houston

    Just over four months after an explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon rig caused the largest oil spill in history, tensions are running high with the news of another offshore oil rig blast.

    Though many details have yet to emerge. It's not clear if the rig was drilling or idle or what caused the fire, though all 13 workers on board survived with one injured.

    About the only concrete news to come out is that the rig is owned and operated by Houston-based Mariner Energy. But just who is Mariner?

    Incorporated in 1983, Mariner has a drilling portfolio of 150,000 acres in the Permian Basin and 350 Federal offshore leases in both the continental shelf and deep water. The company has 328 employees, the vast majority of which are in the Houston headquarters, and posted a net income of $17 million in the first two quarters of 2010.

    President and CEO Scott D. Josey's tenure dates to when Enron — where Josey was a vice president and managed the Energy Capital Resources group — had a controlling stake in the company.

    Mariner's website includes information about their exploration, growth and acquisition models, including that:

    Our exploration program is designed to facilitate organic growth through exploration in a wide variety of drilling projects, including higher-risk, high-impact projects that have the potential to create substantial value for our stockholders.

    The explosion of rig Vermilion 380 could complicate a pending merger between Mariner and Apache Corporation. The deal was announced in April for Apache to purchase Mariner for $2.7 billion, giving Apache its first access to oil deposits in the Gulf of Mexico. But that figure assumes a Mariner stock price of $26.22, and after news reports of the rig fire the stock is already down more than four percent

    In July, Apache also purchased fields from cash-hungry BP in West Texas, Canada and Egypt for $7 billion.

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    Austin restaurant chain bowls over River Oaks and more popular stories

    CultureMap Staff
    Dec 27, 2025 | 11:00 am
    Honest Mary's restaurant exterior
    Photo by Becca Wright
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    Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, including restaurant openings and a major acquisition for MFAH. Plus, where to celebrate New Year's Eve in Houston. Catch up on our most popular stories below, then visit this guide to the best Christmas weekend events.

    1. Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth. On this episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

    2. Houston's only Michelin-recognized Tex-Mex restaurant now open in Bellaire. It didn’t take Sambrooks Hospitality Group long to turn Mandito’s into Candente. First announced in September, the restaurant’s second location officially opened December 22.

    3. 25 Houston restaurants celebrating New Year's Eve with caviar, bubbles, and more. Houston restaurants are ringing in the new year with indulgent menus featuring caviar, lobster, and steak, along with plenty of bubbly.

    4. Houston museum acquires historic Masonic lodge property for new greenspace. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has acquired a prime parcel to expand its campus in the Museum District.

    Holland Lodge masonic building The building at 4911 will be torn down for the new greenspace. Holland Lodge No. 1, A.F. & A.M./Facebook

    5. Houston's richest residents, best suburbs, and more top city news in 2025. As 2025 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Houston this year. These are the City Life stories that captured Houston's attention.

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