FACTBOX-Comparisons between Mariner and BP accidents

WASHINGTON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The explosion of Mariner Energy's ME.N platform in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday prompts comparisons to the blowout and spill at BP's (BP.L) Deepwater Horizon rig in April.

Here's how the two compare.

* SHALLOW VERSUS DEEP: The Mariner platform was located in 340 feet (103.6 metres) of water, while BP's Deepwater Horizon platform was in 5,000 feet (about 1,500 metres) of water.

* STATIONARY VERSUS BUOYANT: Mariner's platform is on pylons sunk into the sea floor, which keeps it stationary, some 102 miles (164 km) from the Louisiana coast; the BP's Deepwater Horizon was a semi-submersible drilling rig, which floated about 41 miles (66 km) until it blew up on April 20.

* PRODUCING VERSUS EXPLORATORY: The Mariner platform was a producing well, but was shut off for maintenance at the time of Thursday's blast; Deepwater Horizon was drilling an exploratory well at the Macondo site on the sea floor.

* FLOW RATE: During the last week of August, Mariner Energy said production from this platform averaged about 9.2 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and 1,400 barrels of oil and condensate.

The most recent official estimate for the flow rate from BP's broken Macondo wellhead just before it was fitted with a temporary cap on July 15 was 53,000 barrels a day. The flow rate diminished over time and is estimated to have been 62,000 barrels a day at its maximum.

(Reporting by Deborah Zabarenko and Tom Doggett, Editing by Russell Blinch and David Gregorio)