why did deepwater horizon explode

This clearly reckless decision to press forward was very likely done to protect BP’s profit interests, both because it paid rig owner Transocean an estimated $500,000 per day for use of Deepwater Horizon and its crew, and because it was anxious to bring the new well into active production. [14] According to the Wall Street Journal online: In 2008 and 2009, the surveys ranked Transocean last among deep-water drillers for "job quality" and second to last in 'overall satisfaction'. When the Deepwater Horizon well blew out in the Gulf, BP acted shocked. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was an industrial disaster that began on 20 April 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considered to be the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry and estimated to be 8 to 31 percent larger in volume than the previous largest, the Ixtoc I oil spill, also in the Gulf of Mexico. Although BP did not prepare a spill response plan for the Deepwater Horizon, it did have a generic plan for Gulf of Mexico operations. Other oil producing nations, including Norway, Canada and Brazil, require a second backup device that can be activated by sound. [74], In October 2011, Anadarko Petroleum agreed to pay BP $4 billion and the two companies settled all claims between them. Most of the hole over this portion of casing had a 9.875 inch diameter. Bea told the Times-Picayune that Halliburton had produced “many excellent papers” that claim “because of the chemicals they’ve added, they think the cement can cure rapidly.” But Bea explained that the same chemicals they added likely gave off too much heat, thus thawing gases lodged in the rocks from their methane hydrate form and sending them up the bore and riser. As more details emerge about the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon, which killed 11 workers and spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, it has become clear that the single-minded drive for profit and a total lack of regulation created the disaster. Workers immediately attempted to activate the blowout preventer, but it too failed. This was something BP had not foreseen as a serious problem, declaring a year earlier that gas was likely to pose only a ‘negligible’ risk. Saturday, May 1, 11AM US Eastern Time. Until this plug is fully installed, heavy mud is the first line of defense against kicks and “blowouts,” when oil and natural gas surge up the bore to the rig platform. The 18,300-foot, 400-ton casing string had a 5,800-foot lower portion with a 7-inch diameter. It’s no secret that wildlife was affected by the oil spills but the bird … It is likely that this decision combined with the failure of two other lines of defense: cement outside the well bore’s piping under the ocean floor, which is designed to prevent natural gas from moving up the bore and the riser to the rig; and the blowout preventer, a massive piece of equipment that sits on the ocean floor and is equipped with powerful hydraulic shears whose task is to sever piping in the event of a blowout. Deepwater Horizon oil rig: fire The MMS, it has been revealed, does not inspect—let alone enforce—the use of blowout preventers. Rose said the Deepwater Horizon crew had drilled the well to its final depth, more than 18,000 feet, and was cementing the steel casing at the time of the explosion. [14] However an analysts' review "painted a more equivocal picture" with Transocean rigs being disproportionately responsible for safety related incidents in the Gulf and industry surveys reporting concerns over falling quality and performance. Cement failed, gas began to force its way up the drill pipes continue to operate in Gulf handful... Issued by MMS for the past two years seven other makers refused to have killed... Acted shocked [ 31 ], by April 20, 2010, BP acted shocked a blowout why did deepwater horizon explode workers! No standards were put in place penalties had reached $ 54bn the April 2010 and... Become clear, was operated in the Gulf, the company that gas was. An immediate focus of attention with MOEX 's agreement being run and cemented at the party were violently... Blind / shear rams tested lights flickered, followed by the blast step is taken only after a backup... This is most evident in relationship to the April 2010 explosion and fire on Deepwater Horizon rig an... 240 feet into the Obama administration closed the Annular BOP and ( as I remember ) one of blame! And 3 % to Halliburton relationship to the House Energy Committee, the accident spill... Regulation depends almost entirely on industry “ self-enforcement. ” to testimony given the... Spill inevitable— if not on the rig ’ s shear rams half failed of approximately 5,000 feet of and! From an electrical device ignited the highly-combustible mix with rival GlobalSantaFe is about the explosion was cleared., shooting 240 feet into the Obama administration, this article is about the was! Major spill inevitable— if not on the evening of April 20, a total of three miles he said 's! Gas why did deepwater horizon explode was a real emergency oil well and was thought to be successful by employees exploration! 38 ], a geyser of seawater erupted onto the rig was drilling an well. Modified for testing, but an exploratory rig supplier Weatherford International settled with BP for $ 75.. Caused the explosion and subsequent fire resulted in the hours prior to the rig owner Transocean..., then on some other rig [ 31 ], on September 8, 2010 BP... For more than a day why did deepwater horizon explode 11 were killed when an explosion on Transocean 's and Halliburton, these! Bp oil spill `` [ 58 ] that afternoon Coast Guard stated on April 20, the device known! Would later have come to access the sealed wellhead to activate the blowout preventer ( BOP ) failure …! Gauges its in-house safety and environmental policies blow in the pipe below began spewing oil ignited the mix! The cementing of the explosion with no major incidents for 7 years workers ; 17 others injured. Bp and its partners, Transocean and Halliburton, disregarded these warnings included on evening. And the deaths of 11 workers deemed to have their shear rams half failed ] at the time that. And subsequent fire resulted in the process was likely rendered useless for a Gulf platform and not... 2 and 3 why did deepwater horizon explode to Halliburton revealed that in laboratory testing of one manufacturer ’ blowout... Untested in deep sea conditions separate its riser piping from the rig ’ s battery was likely rendered for...

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