This story makes no sense whatsoever. Number one, what was the ignition source to start the fire. Number two, why would you bring in fire boats to try to douse the flames, which is not going to happen on an HVL fire. If you manage to extinguish the fire, which you probably won’t, then you’re dealing with a gas cloud which is exponentially worse than just letting it burn off while you block the pipeline in.
Do not confuse the issue with logic.
My guess is that the boats were dispatched to keep the platform safe, and since you don’t want to have four boats idling by an ongoing disaster, they turned on their hoses in part to look busy and in part to keep the flaming puddle of fuel from spreading toward the platform.
Fireboats spraying water onto a fire that is burning through a whole ocean of water. Pissing on a very big bonfire to put it out.