The cause of the collapse is still under investigation and any threat to the environment has already been declared minimal. The 85-foot high rig was holding 10,500 gallons of diesel fuel on it, some of which has now spilled into the Gulf, however the thin nature of the diesel meant it would easily disperse.

The Parker 14 J is a combination of a rig and a barge and has three legs that can be lowered into a stationary position. It was drilling in an area known as Chandeleur Block 27, in 40 feet of water, off the Mississippi-Louisiana coast five miles east of the Chandeleur Islands. Drilling operations had not begun before the collapse.

Parker Drilling issued a statement saying that a malfunction apparently caused one side of the rig to become partially submerged in the water, resulting in the loss of the drilling equipment overboard.