Built in 2001 by South Korea's Hyundai, the semi-submersible rig is 120m (396ft) long and 78m (256ft) wide, according to Transocean.

BBC: Tackling oil rig disaster 'number one priority' - Obama

At the same time, a massive Chinese-built semi-submersible oil rig has been dispatched from Singapore to a position off northwest Cuba, about 50 miles from Key West.

FORBES: The President Should Have Called In Sick