Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Background
Deepwater Horizon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion 26/11/2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 2 of 11
The rig owner, Transocean, had a "strong overall" safety record with no major incidents for 7 years.
[15] However an analysts' review "painted a more equivocal picture"[15] with Transocean rigs being
disproportionately responsible for safety related incidents in the Gulf[15] and industry surveys
reporting concerns over falling quality and performance.[15] In the 3 years 2005 to 2007 Transocean
was the owner of 30% of oilrigs active in the Gulf and 33% of incidents that triggered an MMS
investigation were on Transocean rigs, but in the 3 years from 2008 to 15 February 2010 it owned
42% of rigs but was the owner for nearly 3/4 (73%) of incidents.[15] Industry surveys saw this as an
effect of its November 2007 merger with rival GlobalSantaFe.[15] Transocean "has had problems"
with both cement seals (2005) and blowout preventers (2006), which are the suspected cause of the
Deepwater Horizon loss,[15] although Transocean states cementing is a third party task and it has "a
strong maintenance program to keep blowout preventers working".[15] 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'. For three years before the merger,
Transocean was the leader or near the top in both measures. Transocean ranked first in 2008
and 2009 in a category that gauges its in-house safety and environmental policies"[15]
"There were few indications of any trouble with the Deepwater Horizon before the explosion.
The rig won an award from the MMS for its 2008 safety record, and on the day of the disaster,
BP and Transocean managers were on board to celebrate seven years without a lost-time
accident. Toby Odone, a BP spokesman, said rigs hired by BP have had better safety records
than the industry average for six years running, according to MMS statistics that measure the
number of citations per inspection. BP has been a finalist for a national safety award from the
MMS for the past two years. Mr. Odone wouldn't comment on BP's relationship with
Transocean after the Gulf disaster but said BP continues to use Transocean rigs."[15]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion 26/11/2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 3 of 11
There had been previous spills and fires on the Deepwater Horizon; the US Coast Guard had issued
pollution citations 18 times between 2000 and 2010, and had investigated 16 fires and other incidents.
The previous fires, spills, and incidents were not considered unusual for a Gulf platform and have not
been connected to the April, 2010 explosion and spill.[22] The Deepwater Horizon did, however, have
other serious incidents, including one in 2008 in which 77 people were evacuated from the platform
when it listed and began to sink after a section of pipe was accidentally removed from the platform's
ballast system.[23] By April 20, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon well operation was already running five
weeks late.[24] Internal BP documents show that BP engineers had concerns as early as 2009 that the
metal casing BP wanted to use might collapse under high pressure.[25] In March 2010, the rig
experienced problems that included drilling mud falling into the undersea oil formation, sudden gas
releases, a pipe falling into the well, and at least three occasions of the blowout preventer leaking
fluid.[25] The rig's mechanic stated that the well had problems for months and that the drill repeatedly
kicked due to high gas pressure providing resistance.[24] A confidential survey commissioned by
Transocean weeks before the explosion states that workers were concerned about safety practices and
feared reprisals if they reported mistakes or other problems.[26] On the day the rig exploded, 79 of the
126 people on the rig were Transocean employees.[26]
According to a report by 60 Minutes, the blowout preventer was damaged in a previously unreported
accident in late March 2010.[27][28] The American Bureau of Shipping last inspected the rig's failed
blowout preventer in 2005.[29] According to Transocean, workers had been performing standard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion 26/11/2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 4 of 11
routines and had no indication of any problems prior to the explosion.[30] Preliminary findings from
BP’s internal investigation released by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on May 25,
2010 indicated several serious warning signs in the hours just prior to the explosion.[31][32]
Equipment readings indicated gas bubbling into the well, which could signal an impending blowout.
[25] The heavy drilling mud in the pipes initially held down the gas of the leaking well.[33] A BP
official onboard the rig directed the crew to replace the drilling mud, which is used to keep the well's
pressure down, with lighter seawater even though the rig's chief driller protested.[24] According to a
number of rig workers, it was understood that workers could get fired for raising safety concerns that
might delay drilling.[24]
On March 10, 2010, a BP executive e-mailed the Minerals Management Service that there was a stuck
pipe and well control situation at the drilling site, and that BP would have to plugback the well.[34] A
draft of a BP memo in April 2010 warned that the cementing of the casing was unlikely to be
successful.[25] Halliburton has said that it had finished cementing 20 hours before the fire, but had not
yet set the final cement plug.[22][35] A special nitrogen-foamed cement was used which is more
difficult to handle than standard cement.[33]
A House Energy and Commerce Committee statement in June 2010 noted that in a number of cases
leading up to the explosion, BP appears to have chosen riskier procedures to save time or money,
sometimes against the advice of its staff or contractors.[36]
On July 22, Sky News reported that in a survey commissioned by Transocean workers on Deepwater
Horizon raised concerns "about poor equipment reliability, which they believed was a result of
drilling priorities taking precedence over maintenance."[37] The survey, carried out in March 2010,
"less than half of the workers interviewed said they felt they could report actions leading to a
potentially "risky" situation without any fear of reprisal ... many workers entered fake data to try to
circumvent the system. As a result, the company's perception of safety on the rig was distorted, the
report concluded."[37]
On July 23, 2010 The New York Times reported that crew members had appeared before a federal
panel of investigators, saying that power failures, computer crashes and emergency equipment leaks
had occurred within a few weeks of the explosion.[38]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion 26/11/2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 5 of 11
off.[41]
The explosion was followed by a fire that engulfed the platform. After burning for more than a day,
Deepwater Horizon sank on April 22, 2010.[42] The Coast Guard stated to CNN on April 22, 2010
that they received word of the sinking at approximately 10:21 am.[43]
BP subsequently produced a report that suggests that the ignition source for the explosion and
subsequent fire was as a result of the released hydrocarbons being ingested into the air intakes of the
diesel generators, and engulfing the deck area where the exhaust outlets for the main generators were
emitting hot exhaust gas. Had the engines been fitted with automatic combustion inlet shutdown
valves, Pyroban kits, or executive gas detection systems that shutdown generator room HVAC
systems automatically, the diesel engine ignition source could have been mitigated by breaking the
fire triangle.[44]
However, whilst these precautionary techniques are common throughout the North Sea, Asia Pacific,
India, West Africa and parts of Australia, the operators in the GOM region continue to adopt the bare
minimum of precaution[citation needed] without breaking local compliance laws laid down by MMS or
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement and the associated inspectorates
such as ABS who will only recognise electrical ignition hazards in line with the recommendations
made in API 500/ NFPA 500 / and NEC 500.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion 26/11/2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 6 of 11
Initial reports indicated that between 12 to 15 workers were missing;[53] reports soon narrowed the
number of missing to nine crew members on the platform floor and two engineers.[40] The United
States Coast Guard immediately launched a massive rescue operation involving two Coast Guard
cutters, four helicopters, and a rescue plane.[54][55] Two of the cutters continued searching through
the night. By the morning of April 22, the Coast Guard had surveyed nearly 1,940 square miles (5,000
km2).[45] On April 23, the Coast Guard called off the search for the 11 missing persons, concluding
that "reasonable expectations of survival" had passed.[49][56] Officials concluded that the missing
workers may have been near the blast and unable to escape the sudden explosion.[57]
On the morning of April 22, 2010 (two days after the blowout
accident), CNN quoted Coast Guard Petty Officer Ashley
Butler as saying that "oil was leaking from the rig at the rate
of about 8,000 barrels (340,000 US gallons; 1,300,000 litres)
of crude per day."[58] That afternoon, as a large oil slick
spread, Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Michael
O'Berry used the same figure. Two remotely operated
underwater vehicles (ROVs) were sent down to attempt to cap
the well, but had been unsuccessful.[43] Butler warned of a
leak of up to 700,000 US gallons (17,000 bbl) of diesel fuel,
and BP Vice President David Rainey termed the incident as A remotely operated underwater
vehicle attempting to turn on the
being a potential "major spill."[43] Deepwater Horizon blowout
preventer
On April 22, 2010, BP announced that it was deploying a
remotely operated underwater vehicle to the site to assess
whether oil was flowing from the well.[59] Other reports indicated that BP was using more than one
remotely operated underwater vehicle and that the purpose was to attempt to plug the well pipe.[60]
On April 23, 2010, a remotely operated underwater vehicle reportedly found no oil leaking from the
sunken rig and no oil flowing from the well.[61] Coast Guard Rear Admiral Mary Landry expressed
cautious optimism of zero environmental impact, stating that no oil was emanating from either the
wellhead or the broken pipes and that oil spilled from the explosion and sinking was being contained.
[62][63][64][65] The following day, April 24, 2010, Landry announced that a damaged wellhead was
indeed leaking oil into the Gulf and described it as "a very serious spill".[66]
In June, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce said BP should have tested cement at the
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion 26/11/2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 7 of 11
well, which would have cost $128,000 and taken 8–12 hours.
On September 8, 2010, BP released a 193-page report on its web site. The report says BP employees
and those of Transocean did not correctly interpret a pressure test, and both companies neglected
ominous signs such as a pipe called a riser losing fluid. It also says that while BP did not listen to
recommendations by Halliburton for more centralizers, the lack of centralizers probably did not affect
the cement. BP also said the crew should have redirected the flow of flammable gases. The blowout
preventer, removed on September 4, had not reached a NASA facility in time for it to be part of the
report. Transocean, responding to the report, blamed "BP's fatally flawed well design."[71]
On November 8, 2010, the inquiry by the Oil Spill Commission revealed its findings that BP had not
sacrificed safety in attempts to make money, but that some decisions had increased risks on the rig.
[72] However, the panel said a day later that there had been "a rush to completion" on the well,
criticizing poor management decisions. "There was not a culture of safety on that rig," co-chair Bill
Reilly said. [73] One of the decisions met with tough questions was that BP refuted the findings of
advanced modelling software that had ascertained over three times as many centralizers were needed
on the rig. It also decided not to rerun the software when it stuck with only six centralizers, and
ignored or misread warnings from other key tests, the panel revealed. [74]
See also
Timeline of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Ixtoc I oil spill
Offshore oil and gas in the US Gulf of Mexico
References
1. ^ Estimates Suggest Spill Is Biggest in U.S. History
2. ^ ""Bird Habitats Threatened by Oil Spill" from National Wildlife". National Wildlife Federation. 2010-
04-30. http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Birds/Archives/2010/Oil-Spill-
Birds.aspx. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
3. ^ Gulf Oil Slick Endangering Ecology. [web streaming]. CBS Broadcasting. 2010-04-30.
http://wcco.com/video/?id=78277. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
4. ^ "Transocean Deepwater Horizon specifications". Transocean.
http://www.deepwater.com/fw/main/Deepwater-Horizon-56C15.html. Retrieved 2010-04-22.
5. ^ Transocean (2009-09-02). "Transocean's Ultra-Deepwater Semisubmersible Rig Deepwater Horizon
Drills World's Deepest Oil and Gas Well". Press release. http://www.deepwater.com/fw/main/IDeepwater-
Horizon-i-Drills-Worlds-Deepest-Oil-and-Gas-Well-419C151.html. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
6. ^ "Transocean Ltd. Provides Deepwater Horizon Update". Wallstreet Journal. 2010-04-26.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/transocean-ltd-provides-deepwater-horizon-update-2010-04-26.
7. ^ Reddall, Braden (2010-04-22). "Transocean rig loss's financial impact mulled". Reuters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2211325420100422. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
8. ^ BP (April 21, 2010). "BP confirms that Transocean Ltd issued the following statement today". Press
release. http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7061443. Retrieved April
21, 2010.
9. ^ "Deepwater Horizon Still on Fire in GOM". Rigzone. 2010-04-21.
http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=91349. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
10. ^ "Gibbs: Deepwater Horizon Aftermath Could Affect Next Lease Sale". Rigzone. 2010-04-30.
http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=92025. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
11. ^ "Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area Lease Sale 206 Information". US Minerals Management
Service. 2008-08-08. http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/lsesale/206/cgom206.html. Retrieved 2010-06-
06.
12. ^ a b "Macondo Prospect, Gulf of Mexico, USA". offshore-technology.com. 2005-10-20.
http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/macondoprospect/. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
13. ^ Jervis, Rick (2010-04-21). "At least 11 workers missing after La. oil rig explosion". USA Today.
Associated Press. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-04-21-louisiana-oil-rig_N.htm?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion 26/11/2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 8 of 11
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion 26/11/2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 9 of 11
34. ^ Carroll, Joe (31 May 2010). "BP Cited ‘Well Control Situation’ Six Weeks Before Blowout".
Bloomberg Businessweek. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-31/bp-cited-well-control-
situation-six-weeks-before-blowout.html. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
35. ^ Brenner, Noah; Guegel, Anthony; Hwee Hwee, Tan; Pitt, Anthea (2010-04-30). "Congress calls
Halliburton on Macondo". Upstream Online (NHST Media Group).
http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article213912.ece. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
36. ^ "BP engineer called doomed rig a 'nightmare well'". Associated Press. 14 June 2010.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100614/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill_washington. Retrieved 14 June
2010.
37. ^ a b "Gulf Of Mexico Oil Disaster: Transocean Reports Highlight Workers' Concerns Over Deepwater
Horizon | Business | Sky News". News.sky.com. http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/Gulf-Of-
Mexico-Oil-Disaster-Transocean-Reports-Highlight-Workers-Concerns-Over-Deepwater-
Horizon/Article/201007415669165?
lpos=Business_Third_Home_Page_Article_Teaser_Region__5&lid=ARTICLE_15669165_Gulf_Of_Mex
ico_Oil_Disaster%3A_Transocean_Reports_Highlight_Workers_Concerns_Over_Deepwater_Horizon.
Retrieved 2010-07-23.
38. ^ Brown, Robbie (23 July 2010). "Oil Rig's Siren Was Kept Silent, Technician Says". The New York
Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/24/us/24hearings.html?_r=3&pagewanted=2. Retrieved 9
August 2010. "A six-member panel is investigating the disaster that unleashed the largest oil spill in
United States history. At hearings this week here, crew members have described repeated failures in the
weeks before the disaster, including power losses, computer crashes and leaking emergency equipment."
39. ^ Daily Mail special investigation article: Why is BP taking ALL the blame?
40. ^ a b c Schwartz, Naoki; Harry R. Weber (2010-05-07). "APNewsBreak: Bubble of methane triggered rig
blast". Associated Press.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gIXWYBTpLtSayJtg41LKXpxSxVPAD9FIEG10
3. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
41. ^ Wise, Lindsay; Latson, Jennifer; Patel, Purva (2010-04-22). "Rig blast survivor: 'We had like zero
time'". Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6969069.html. Retrieved 2010-
04-22.
42. ^ Resnick-Ault, Jessica; Klimasinska, Katarzyna (2010-04-22). "Transocean Oil-Drilling Rig Sinks in
Gulf of Mexico". Bloomberg L.P.. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?
pid=newsarchive&sid=aHylLWhmGcI0. Retrieved 2010-04-22.
43. ^ a b c "Oil slick spreads from sunken rig (video interview)". CNN. 2010-04-22.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/22/oil.rig.explosion/index.html. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
44. ^
"http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/incident_response/STAGING/l
ocal_assets/downloads_pdfs/Deepwater_Horizon_Accident_Investigation_static_presentation.pdf"
(PDF). BP.
http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/incident_response/STAGING/lo
cal_assets/downloads_pdfs/Deepwater_Horizon_Accident_Investigation_static_presentation.pdf.
Retrieved 2010-10-24.
45. ^ a b Kirkham, Chris (2010-04-22). "Rescued oil rig explosion workers arrive to meet families at Kenner
hotel". New Orleans Metro Real-Time News. The Times-Picayune.
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/rescued_oil_rig_workers_arrive.html. Retrieved 2010-04-
22.
46. ^ Lee, Lee; Kofman, Jeffrey; Murray, Michael (2010-04-22). "Deepwater Horizon Is On fire; Officials
Say Burning Oil Rig in Gulf of Mexico Has Sunk". ABC. http://abcnews.go.com/WN/oil-rig-explosion-
survivors-reunite-land-coast-guard/story?id=10446518. Retrieved 2010-04-22.
47. ^ Kuzelman, Mike (2010-04-22). "Oil rig survivors back on land; 11 missing". The Guardian. Associated
Press (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/9042118. Retrieved 2010-04-22.
48. ^ "Search for Missing Workers After La. Oil Rig Blast". Fox News. Associated Press. 2010-04-21.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/04/21/search-missing-workers-la-oil-rig-blast/. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
49. ^ a b Kaufman, Leslie (2010-04-24). "Search Ends for Missing Oil Rig Workers". New York Times: p. A8.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/us/24spill.html?hpw. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
50. ^ (digital media) USCG & MMS Joint Investigation of Deepwater Horizon Explosion, Haire and Ezell
Testimony May 28, 2010. C-Span. 2010-05-28. Event occurs at 38:30, 1:01:05, 1:20:37. http://www.c-
spanvideo.org/program/293776-4. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
51. ^ a b Shapiro, Joseph (2010-05-06). "Rig survivors felt coerced to sign waivers". National Public Radio.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126565283. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
52. ^ "Transocean denies forcing crew to sign waivers". Upstream Online (NHST Media Group). 2010-05-12.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion 26/11/2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 10 of 11
External links
Deepwater Horizon modelling software showed BP cement conditions unstable US government
Oil Spill Commission
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion 26/11/2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 11 of 11
Deepwater Horizon Response from the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command (U.S.
Government/BP/Transocean)
Deepwater Horizon Incident, Gulf of Mexico from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)
Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA) Gomex site (NOAA) Public web
mapping information about the spill
Washburn, Mark (2010-05-14). "A huff and boom ended Deepwater Horizon's good luck". The
McClatchy Company. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/05/14/94184/a-huff-and-boom-
ended-deepwater.html. Retrieved 2010-06-18. - detailed media description of the events of the
day of the Deepwater Horizon explosion (Yahoo News mirror)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion"
Categories: Oil platform disasters | Explosions in the United States | BP | Deepwater Horizon oil spill |
2010 disasters in the United States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion 26/11/2010