oil production platform, the explosion on which led to an environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010
The Deepwater Horizon oil platform and the history of its creation and operation, the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, which resulted in a major environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the causes of the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon and the elimination of the consequences
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Deepwater Horizon - definition
The Deepwater Horizon platform is oil production semi-submersible platform, which was built from South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries, and commissioned by Transocean in 2001. Deepwater Horizon is known for its explosion in April 2010, and the subsequent major environmental disaster.
accident on the Deepwater Horizon platform
Deepwater Horizon is semi-submersible ultra-deepwater with a dynamic positioning system, built in 2001 by the South Korean shipbuilding company Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Seconds before the "Deepwater horizon" disaster
The Deepwater Horizon oil platform is drilling platform owned by the British oil producing company British Petroleum (BP).
explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform
The Deepwater Horizon platform is platform, which was laid down on March 21, 2000 in Ulsan (35°33’00” N; 129°19’00” E) at the world’s largest shipyard by the South Korean shipbuilding company Hyundai Heavy Industries. The platform was accepted into operation on February 21, 2001 by Transocean.
Deepwater Horizon
A platform that has successfully operated in the Atlantis (BP 56%, Petroleum Deepwater 44%) and Thunder Horse (BP 75%, ExxonMobil 25%) oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2006, with its help, oil was found in the Kaskida field, and in September 2009, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform drilled the deepest well at that time in the Gulf of Mexico near the giant Tiber field, reaching a depth of 10,680 m, of which 1,259 m was water .
Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster
Oil platform Deepwater horizon is deepwater oil platform operated by British BP.
Deepwater Horizon
Oil platform Deepwater horizon is deepwater oil platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil production platform Deepwater horizon is operator BP, which was drilling in the Gulf of Mexico when it exploded and created one of the largest oil spills in world history.
Accident in the Gulf of Mexico
Deepwater Horizon is operator BP was drilling in the Gulf of Mexico when it exploded and created one of the largest oil spills in world history.
extinguishing a fire on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform
Oil platform Deepwater horizon is deepwater, dynamic semi-submersible drilling platform owned by Transocean. It was built in 2001 in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries for R&B Falcon, which later became part of Transocean. Since 2001, it has been rented out to BP.
Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico
History of the Deepwater Horizon platform
Semi-submersible oil platform The Deepwater Horizon ultra-deepwater drilling platform with a dynamic positioning system was built by the South Korean shipbuilding company Hyundai Heavy Industries for R&B Falcon, which became part of Transocean Ltd. in 2001. Oil platform The Deepwater Horizon oil platform was laid on March 21, 2000 and launched on February 23, 2001.
Oil platform Deepwater horizon before explosion
Specifications the platforms are as follows: length – 112 m, width – 78 m, height – 97.4 m; average draft – 23 m; displacement - 52587 tons; cargo capacity - 32588 tons; power point– diesel-electric power 42 MW; speed – 4 knots; crew - 146 people.
Deepwater Horizon oil rig accident
The Deepwater Horizon oil production platform was handed over to BP Rentau in 2001 for three years, and in July 2001 it arrived at Gulf of Mexico, subsequently the lease term was extended several times, so in 2005 it was renegotiated for a period from September 2005 to September 2010, and later it was extended again for a period from September 2010 to September 2013.
In February 2010, the Deepwater Horizon Platform began drilling a well at a depth of 1,500 meters in the Macondo field. The Macondo field development was sold to BP in March 2008; it subsequently sold 25% to Anadarko and 10% to MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC (a subsidiary of Mitsui).
Deepwater Horizon fire
Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion
The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform is accident (explosion and fire) that occurred on April 20, 2010, 80 kilometers off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico on the Deepwater Horizon oil production platform in the Macondo field.
explosion on the Deepwater Horizon Platform
The oil spill that followed the accident became the largest in history and turned the accident into one of the largest man-made disasters in the world. negative influence on environmental situation.
Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico
The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform killed 11 people and injured 17 of the 126 people on the platform. At the end of June 2010, reports appeared about the death of 2 more people during the liquidation of the consequences of the disaster.
fire on oil platform deepwater horizon
Through damage to well pipes at a depth of 1,500 meters, about 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico in 152 days; the oil slick reached an area of 75 thousand square kilometers.
Firefighting on the Deepwater Horizon
On April 20, 2010 at 22:00 local time or at 7:00 MSK (UTC+4) On April 21, 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon platform, which Sergeant Major Coast Guard USA Blair Doten describes it this way:
“The best way to describe it is as a large mushroom cloud, as if a bomb had gone off.”
extinguishing a fire on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform
After the explosion, a fire started on the platform, which they unsuccessfully tried to extinguish from fire boats, while a column of smoke rose to a height of 3 kilometers. The fire lasted 36 hours and on April 22, 2010, the oil platform Deepwater Horizon oil platform sank.
BP reaches agreement with oil spill victims
According to Robert Bee, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, the methane bubble arose at great depths due to the heating that occurred as a result chemical reaction during well cementing – one of the standard procedures for underwater drilling. The increase in temperature caused the transition of methane from a liquid to a gaseous state, after which the bubble, increasing in size as it rose from depth and pressure dropped, broke through the barriers in its path and burst to the surface.
accident on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform
The first explosion, according to the professor, most likely occurred in the engines installed on the drilling platform, which, due to gas entering them, operated at extremely high speeds. The ensuing fire led to an explosion of the oil mixture, which was thrown to the surface along with the methane.
Deepwater Horizon explosion
Chronicle of events on Deepwater Horizon
Problems on the platform began almost from the first day of its installation, that is, from the beginning of February 2010. The well was drilled in a hurry, and the reason is simple and banal: the Deepwater Horizon platform was leased by BP, and cost half a million every day!
fire on oil platform Deepwater horizon
Until the morning of April 20, many working platforms were not aware of changes in the well pressure test procedure (test for leaks), which determines safety further work platforms. They were puzzled that BP decided to remove unusual a large number of thick drilling mud (flushing fluid). The most advanced technologies are used. BP uses some of the fastest computers in the world to explore oil reservoirs. Underwater robots work in wells several miles deep. But the truth about modern oil industry is that it often relies on people's opinions and instincts. We need to listen to the well, they say. On April 20, a small group of men on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform listened to the nearly completed well and did not understand what it wanted to tell them.
An accident in the Gulf of Mexico will destroy the southern United States
Gulf of Mexico: oil flows, BP becomes cheaper
But that day the sun rose over the calm sea and it seemed that this nightmare would soon end. Workers had completed drilling the well 11 days earlier and were now reinforcing it with steel and cement. There was little left to do, and workers were already starting to worry about the next task, Morel would later tell BP during an internal investigation after the accident. But before Deepwater Horizon personnel could move on to other work, the well needed to be leak-tested to make sure the cement and steel were in good contact, preventing the possibility of gas leaking. If the test is successful, giant cement plugs (the size of a football field) are installed on the well and it is temporarily mothballed until BP is ready to pump oil and gas from it.
view of the platform oil production platform Deepwater horizon
Despite its importance, the administration of this test and its interpretation are left to the discretion of platform personnel. And different drilling rigs have different procedures. Typically, drilling fluid is first removed approximately 90 m below the blowout preventer and replaced sea water. Because this solution precipitates gas before removing large amounts of it, companies typically test the well to make sure it is protected from gas influx. But BP engineers in Houston, including Morel and his colleague Mark Hafle, decided to install the cement plug much deeper than usual and remove 10 times more solution before testing. This was unusual, but BP says it changed the procedure to avoid a leak.
The accident in the Gulf of Mexico deprived the United States of hope
Sepulvado, who was on shore that day with his phone turned off, admitted in an affidavit that he had never conducted a test involving the removal of such quantities of drilling fluid and had not heard of any such case at BP. The company says the change in procedure has been agreed with the regulator. Indeed, BP applied to federal regulators for permission to use a deeper cement plug on April 16 and received approval just 20 minutes later. But the platform staff found out about this only on the day of the tests, on the morning of April 20.
When BP day shift manager Robert Calusa made the announcement at the 11 a.m. daily meeting in the platform's screening room, Jimmy Wayne Harrell, Transocean's team leader and the most experienced worker on the platform, protested. Harrell and Calusa were arguing about a "negative test," according to one witness. "That's how it will be done," Calusa said, according to a witness affidavit, and Harrell "reluctantly agreed." He himself denied in an affidavit that he argued with Calusa. However, according to his lawyer Pat Fanning, Harrell told Calusa he didn't want to remove so much solution before testing, but was defeated. Calusa could not be reached for comment.
Employees oil company BP was accused of killing 11 people
Soon a helicopter landed on the platform, on which representatives of Transocean and BP management flew in - the managers just wanted to look at the platform. For most of the rest of the workday, Harrell showed them the platform. By 5 p.m., Transocean workers had already removed most of the drilling fluid and began pressure testing the well, according to the chronology of events reconstructed by BP. The check failed. The pressure suddenly increased, and no one knew why. The workers located in the central “drill hut” (something like a room) could not interpret the instrument readings. Then Harrell and his VIP entourage entered, but the managers quickly left and Harrell lingered. He saw no serious problem, but ordered one of the workers to tighten the valve at the top of the blowout preventer, a device that is supposed to seal the wellhead in the event of emergency to prevent the drilling fluid above from flowing down. As it seemed then, this solved the problem. Harrell testified that he was pleased with the results of the tests and returned to the visitors. The second man on the team after Harrell, Randy Ezell, spent a few minutes more in the “drill hut”, but soon also left to accompany the guests. He later testified to a joint Coast Guard-Interior Ministry panel that if it had not been for the guests, he would have spent more time getting to the bottom of the situation.
With Harrell gone, the controversy continued. Wyman Wheeler, a drilling foreman on the day shift, wasn't convinced everything was okay. Wheeler led the drilling crew for 12 hours every day. "Wyman was convinced that something was wrong," testified Christopher Pleasant, another Transocean worker. Wheeler could not be reached for comment.
Oil Chernobyl
Wheeler's shift ended at six o'clock on the evening of April 20. Jason Anderson took over duty, and Pleasant said he had his own interpretation of the test results. Anderson was respected by his colleagues, and he assured them that there was nothing unusual about the blood pressure readings. Calusa decided to test whether this was true by contacting Donald Vidrine, an experienced BP manager who relieved Calusa at 6 p.m. Two BP employees conferred for an hour. Vidrine bombarded Calusa with questions and was not satisfied with the answers. “I wanted to do another review,” he said, according to notes from the internal investigation reviewed by the WSJ.
Workers ran the leak test again, but this time the results were even more confusing. According to preliminary findings from BP's internal investigation, readings from the small pipe extending from the well were normal, but sensors on the main pipe showed increased pressure. But both pipes were connected and should have shown the same pressure. It was unclear what was happening in the well. Finally, around 7:50 p.m., Vidrine, Pleasant said, made a decision: He turned to his colleague Calusa and told him he should call BP engineers in Houston and tell them he was satisfied with the test results. Vidrine himself, through his lawyer, declined to comment. There were other signs that the well was out of control: according to electronic readings reviewed by investigators after the explosion, more fluid began leaking from the well than was pumped into it.
equipment Oil platform Deepwater horizon
But none of the Transocean workers monitoring the well noticed these signs.
At about nine o'clock in the evening the visit of top managers came to an end. Some of them walked to the well bridge, where they were shown a simulator, a video game that allowed crew members to practice keeping the Deepwater Horizon oil production platform in the correct position in severe weather conditions. Among those who approached was BP's recently appointed vice president of Gulf of Mexico drilling operations, Pat O'Bryan, who received a doctorate from Louisiana State University for his work measuring gas leaks in the Gulf of Mexico. oil well. At this time there was a gas leak, and O'Brien was standing on the bridge not far from the video simulator.
drilling diagram Deepwater Horizon oil platform
Ezell, the platform's second-most senior employee, was lying in his bed watching TV when his phone rang, according to testimony he gave to federal investigators in May. It was 21.50 on the clock. “We have a serious situation,” Steve Curtis, a driller's assistant, told him. "Randy, we need your help." Ezell stood up, got dressed and was reaching for his helmet when he heard the alarm. Before he could pick up the helmet, the first of two powerful explosions rocked the platform.
extinguishing a fire on the Deepwater Horizon platform
In the next few minutes, Anderson and Curtis were killed and Wheeler was seriously wounded. The blowout preventer did not operate. And most of those who took important decisions April 20, they were saving their lives.
work on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform
Calusa also refused to testify to the federal investigative commission, citing his rights under the Fifth Amendment. With the same reference, Morel also refused to testify to the federal investigative commission. Morel's lawyer declined to comment on this story.
Deepwater Horizon disaster
Victims and injured as a result of the explosion
At the time of the explosion, there were 126 people on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, of which 79 were employees of Transocean Ltd. (including platform commander Capt. Curt Kuchta), 7 BP employees, the rest were employees of Anadarko, Halliburton and M-I SWACO.
As a result of the explosion, 11 people went missing (initially 15 were reported missing), and the search for them was stopped on the night of April 24, 2010. Among the dead who were local residents, there were 9 employees of Transocean Ltd. and 2 M-I employee SWACO.
2010 tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico
115 people were evacuated, including 17 wounded who were evacuated by helicopter. As of April 23, 2010, only two victims remained in hospitals; their health condition did not cause concern among doctors.
At the end of June 2010, reports appeared about the death of 2 more people during the liquidation of the consequences of the disaster.
Hayward: Gulf of Mexico accident is a personal tragedy
Oil spill due to Deepwater Horizon accident
According to initial estimates, 1,000 barrels of oil per day leaked into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico; later, by the end of April 2010, the volume of oil leakage was estimated at 5,000 barrels of oil per day.
According to USGS data released on June 10, 2010, the amount of oil leaked up to June 3 was between 20,000 and 40,000 barrels of oil.
BP reports cleanup of oil leak in Gulf of Mexico
Fighting the spread of an oil spill
The oil spill response was coordinated by a special team led by the US Coast Guard, which included representatives from various federal agencies.
As of April 29, 2010, the rescue operation involved a BP flotilla consisting of 49 tugs, barges, rescue boats and other vessels, and 4 submarines were also used. On May 2, 2010, 76 ships, 5 aircraft, about 1,100 people had already participated in the operation, and 6,000 military personnel were also involved National Guard USA, military personnel and equipment Navy USA and US Air Force.
The process had to pump out.oil extinguishing a fire on an oil platform Deepwater horizon
BP report
On September 8, 2010 at 15:00 MSK, BP published a 193-page report on the investigation into the causes of the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, which four months prepared by a team of more than 50 specialists, led by Mark Bligh, BP's head of operational security.
According to the BP report, the causes of the accident were human factors, in particular incorrect decisions by personnel, technical problems and design flaws of the oil platform; in total, six main causes of the disaster were named.
According to the report, the cement pad at the bottom of the well was unable to retain hydrocarbons in the reservoir, which is why gas and condensate leaked through it into the drill string. After this, specialists from BP and Transocean Ltd. misinterpreted pressure measurements in the well when checking the well for leaks. Then, within 40 minutes, Transocean Ltd. specialists. did not notice that there was a flow of hydrocarbons coming from the well. Gas that may have been vented overboard spread throughout the drilling platform through ventilation system, and fire protection systems were unable to prevent its spread. After the explosion, due to a malfunction of the mechanisms, the anti-discharge fuse, which was supposed to automatically plug the well and prevent oil leakage in the event of an accident, did not work.
Report from BOEMRE and the US Coast Guard
In total, the report identified 35 causes that led to the explosion, fire and oil spill. In 21 reasons, BP is the only culprit; in 8 reasons, BP was found to be partially at fault. Guilt was also found in the actions of Transocean Ltd. (the owner of the platform) and Halliburton (the contractor that carried out the deepwater cementing of the well).
breakthrough at the Macondo wellOnly person The person named in the report is BP engineer Mark Haifle, who chose not to conduct a cementing analysis and refused to investigate anomalies found in another important analysis.
Sources and links
Sources of texts, pictures and videos
ru.wikipedia.org – free encyclopedia Wikipedia
mdservices.kz – site about drilling and drilling equipment
industrial-disasters.ru – site about man-made disasters
eco-pravda.ru – online newspaper Ecological Truth
novostienergetiki.ru – energy news website
astrokras.narod.ru – Astrology website in Krasnoyarsk
top.rbc.ru – information and news website of the RBC agency
neftegaz.ru – information site about oil and gas
neftegaz.ru – information and news site about oil and gas
welkat.org – website Encyclopedia of Disasters
gosnadzor.info - website of the Assistance Organization Environmental Safety
riskprom.ru - site about hazard analysis and assessment of man-made
dok20580.livejournal.com - blog on LiveJournal
vesti.ru - online newspaper "Vesti"
dp.ru - information and news portal
ria.ru - information and news portal RIA-Novosti
newstube.ru - news video hosting
youtube.com - video hosting
Sources of Internet services
wordstat.yandex.ru - a service from Yandex that allows you to analyze search queries
video.yandex.ru - search for videos on the Internet via Yandex
images.yandex.ru - image search through the Yandex service
maps.yandex.ru - maps from Yandex to search for places described in the material
Application links
windows.microsoft.com - website of Microsoft, which created the Windows OS
office.microsoft.com - website of the corporation that created Microsoft Office
chrome.google.ru - a frequently used browser for working with websites
hyperionics.com - website of the creators of the HyperSnap screenshot program
getpaint.net - free software for working with images
On April 20, 2010, 80 kilometers off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, killing 11 workers, the derrick itself collapsed, and tons of unrefined oil spilled into the ocean. About 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, polluting shores, devastating urban economies and destroying the environment.
The study of the disaster is still ongoing, the problems of the effectiveness of dispersants and the impact of long-term consequences on the health of people and animals are being considered.
The oil spill that followed the accident became the largest in US history and turned the accident into one of the largest man-made disasters in terms of its negative impact on the environmental situation.
In this post we will look at what happened before and one year after this disaster.
(Total 39 photos)
The Deepwater Horizon rig burns in the Gulf of Mexico, 80 km southeast of Venice, Louisiana, on April 20. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The ship recovers oil after the Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 28, 2010. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
An aircraft spraying dispersant over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
A school of dolphins in the oily waters of Chandele Bay. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A column of smoke from burning oil off the coast of Louisiana on June 9, 2010. (Reuters/Petty Officer First Class John Masson/U.S. Coast Guard)
Unrefined oil ashore at Orange Beach, Alabama, June 12, 2010. A large number of oil reached the coast of Alabama, leaving behind puddles with a density of 13-15 cm in some places. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
A young heron dies in oil-contaminated bush after an oil spill in Barataria Bay on May 23, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Defense Fund Expert environment Angelina Freeman takes a sample of oil in Barataria Bay. (Reuters/Sean Gardner)
Reuters photographer Lee Celano walks through oiled bushes near Pass-a-Loutre, Louisiana, on May 20, 2010. (Reuters/Matthew Biggs)
NASA satellite image of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. (Reuters/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Underwater corals on the bottom of the northern Gulf of Mexico, near the site of the September 2010 oil spill. Scientists are checking whether the disaster harmed the corals. (AP Photo/Discovre Team 2010)
Vessels helping to drill an inclined well at sunset on September 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Courtney Kemp, 27, mourns her husband Roy Watt Kemp, who died in the Deepwater Horizon explosion in Jonesville, Louisiana. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Raindrops on an oil puddle near the disaster site. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
An oil-damaged northern gannet is cleaned up at the Fort Jackson Wildlife Rescue Center on July 1, 2010. (Reuters/Sean Gardner)
The Q4000 drags an explosion-damaged blowout valve on September 4, 2010. The valve, which was removed from the tower and replaced with a new one, will be taken for examination. (Reuters/Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas Blue/U.S. Coast Guard)
Hundreds of cranes and ships in the calm waters of Port Fourchon on December 3, 2010 in Golden Meadow, Louisiana. The bustling port came to a standstill after a ban on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Kerry Maloney)
Healthy roseate spoonbills over Cat Island in Barataria Bay, near Myrtle Grove, on March 31. (Reuters/Sean Gardner)
Tulane University ecologist Jessica Henkel sets up a net to catch visiting birds to collect blood, feces and feather samples at Fourchon Beach April 1. This is part of a research project on the effects of oil leaks in the Gulf of Mexico on birds that stop here during migration. “It's easier to spot a dead pelican on the beach than the consequences of a disaster that might show up in the future,” says Jessica. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Workers remove oil from national park Perdido Key in Pensacola, Florida, March 10. Work to clean up beaches along the Gulf of Mexico is still ongoing. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
A Great Blue Heron sits on a barrier used to protect a beach from the Deepwater Horizon oil leak on June 7, 2010 in Pensacola, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Marine products distribution company owner Darlene Kimball greets customers at the company's office in Pass Christiana, Miss., on March 29. Kimball, who was never reimbursed for the Deepwater Horizon explosion, dreads thinking about where the local government spent BP funds. (AP Photo/Jason Bronis)
A dolphin named Louie at the Dolphin Research Center interacts with veterinarian Kara Field on February 8 in Marathon, Florida. The dolphin was found on September 2, 2010 - it washed up on the beach in Port Fourchon in Louisiana, it was completely soaked in oil. Since then he has been cared for in a research and education center marine mammals in the Florida Keys. Louis arrived at the research facility after being brought back to life at the New Orleans Institute. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Oil-covered dead grass mixed with new growth in Barataria Bay, near Myrtle Grove, Louisiana, on March 31. (Reuters/Sean Gardner)
A dead sea turtle washed ashore in Pass Christiana on April 16. Local activist Shirley Tillman found 20 dead turtles in Mississippi in April alone. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Sunset over the wetlands of Barataria Bay on April 13. Barataria Bay, with its marshes, suffered the most as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil leak. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Hans Holbrook stands in the marshes with speakers blasting birdsong at the annual Christmas Bird Count in Grand Isle, Louisiana, on December 22, 2010. 60,000 bird lovers from all over the Western Hemisphere flock here in the winter to count birds in these areas and submit lists to Audubon. This tradition has been going on for 110 years. (AP Photo/Sean Gardner)
Guests enjoy seafood from the Gulf of Mexico during the Lunch on the Sand: Celebration of the Gulf event in Gulf Shores, Alabama on April 17. Celebrity chef Guy Phiri served 500 people in honor of the beach clean-up following the disaster a year ago. (Michael Spooneybarger/ AP Images for Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism) Audubon Institute researchers, National Institute Oceanography and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries release oil spill survivors sea turtles back into the Gulf of Mexico 72 km off the Louisiana coast on October 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Price Billiot at a fishing spot in the fishing village of Pointe Au Chêne in Louisiana on January 28, 2011. Billiot is surviving in part thanks to the $65,000 BP PLC paid him in June to reimburse him for business losses. Even before the Gulf disaster, the Indian-American village was on the verge of collapse due to social change and loss of coastal areas. Now Indians who have been fishing all their lives are depending on Kenneth Feinberg, the man handing out checks for billions of dollars in damages after the disaster. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The sun reflects off the blue water where the Deepwater Horizon once stood, almost a year later. The ugly stains of last summer have become fading memories, as if to prove that nature has a way of recovering. However, this is only a shiny surface, the image of which can be deceiving. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Oil is a liquid raw material, the products of which are widely used in the world as fuel, lubricants, oils, etc. It is quite difficult to overestimate the importance of “black gold”. Every day, millions of barrels of oil are sent from oil-producing countries to final consumers through pipelines, railcars and tankers. Unfortunately, this is accompanied by accidents that occur due to wear and tear of equipment, human factor or a combination of unfavorable circumstances . year - the largest disaster that caused significant damage to the ecology of the region.
Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico
April 22, 2010 is considered a black day for North American environmentalists. On this day, an oil platform crashed off the coast of the United States. The cause of the flooding was a gas explosion and subsequent fire. As a result of the accident, 24 went missing and has not been found to this day. 117 other employees were successfully evacuated, some of them with moderate injuries. Rescuers spent 36 hours trying to put out the fire, but all the measures had no effect. The platform was flooded.
The explosion also damaged the field pipeline that carried oil from the seabed to the platform. The damage caused the largest oil spill in US history. The oil leak was discovered only on April 24. From this moment on, British Petroleum, with the support federal services The United States began to carry out work to eliminate the spill of raw materials.
2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill
2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill
Due to the disaster, about 5 million barrels of oil entered the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Every day, several tens of thousands of barrels of raw materials (equivalent to six million liters) entered the water. From the very first days after the leak was discovered, measures were taken to eliminate it. However, they were not successful. The work was carried out for 86 days, and only on June 3 a favorable result was achieved. Using special robotics capable of working at depth, it was possible to remove the drill pipe. At the same time, a special protective screen was placed in its place. The remaining oil flows were sent to specially designated tanks.
Despite this, great amount oil has already managed to get into the waters. Due to the action of wind and currents, the oil slick expanded over a large area of water. In early August, the leak was completely eliminated. The well was cemented. Additionally, a special relief well was created, which made it possible to reduce the fluid pressure. Both wells connected at a depth of five and a half kilometers.
Consequences
The accident caused enormous damage to the ecology of the region. More than two thousand kilometers of the North American coast were polluted with oil. Scientists noted the death of all invertebrate animals located within the radius of the leak. The mortality rate of dolphins and cetaceans has increased several times. At the same time, environmentalists say that the real figures are much worse than those given in official reports. Due to the accident, fishing was completely prohibited in the water area.
Controlled combustion technology was actively used to eliminate the oil spill. The coast and bottom were cleaned using mechanical cleaning methods. The unique nature of the region, the combination of microorganisms, relief and favorable sea currents played into the hands of the rescuers. Despite the fact that the water area was completely cleared only after a year and a half, the delayed Negative consequences disasters still manifest themselves to this day.
Editor's responseOn April 22, 2010, an accident occurred on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform, which BP used to produce oil in the Gulf of Mexico. As a result of the disaster, 11 people died and hundreds of thousands of tons of oil spilled into the sea. Due to the huge losses incurred as a result of the incident, BP was forced to sell assets around the world.
About 5 million barrels of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.
Extinguishing a platform in the Gulf of Mexico. April 2010 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
The Deepwater Horizon ultra-deep drilling platform was built by the shipbuilding company Hundai Industries ( South Korea) commissioned by R&B Falcon (Transocean Ltd.). This platform was launched in 2001, and some time later it was leased to the British oil and gas company British Petroleum (BP). The lease period was extended several times, most recently until the beginning of 2013.
In February 2010, BP began developing the Macondo field in the Gulf of Mexico. A well was drilled at a depth of 1500 meters.
Oil platform explosion
On April 20, 2010, 80 km off the coast of the US state of Louisiana, a fire and explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform. The fire lasted more than 35 hours; firefighting vessels that arrived at the scene of the accident tried unsuccessfully to extinguish it. On April 22, the platform sank in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
As a result of the accident, 11 people went missing; searches for them were carried out until April 24, 2010 and did not yield any results. 115 people were evacuated from the platform, including 17 injured. Subsequently, world news agencies reported that two more people died during the liquidation of the consequences of the accident.
Oil spill
From April 20 to September 19, liquidation of the consequences of the accident continued. Meanwhile, according to some experts, about 5,000 barrels of oil entered the water every day. According to other sources, up to 100,000 barrels per day entered the water, as stated by the US Secretary of the Interior in May 2010.
By the end of April, the oil slick reached the mouth of the Mississippi River, and in July 2010, oil was discovered on the beaches of the US state of Texas. In addition, the underwater oil plume stretched 35 km in length at a depth of more than 1,000 meters.
Over 152 days, about 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico through damaged well pipes. The area of the oil spill was 75 thousand km².
Photo: www.globallookpress.com
Elimination of consequences
After the Deepwater Horizon sank, efforts were made to seal the well, and later oil spill cleanup efforts began to contain the spread of the oil slick.
Almost immediately after the accident, specialists put plugs on the damaged pipe and began work on installing a steel dome, which was supposed to cover the damaged platform and prevent an oil spill. The first installation attempt was unsuccessful, and on May 13 it was decided to install a smaller dome. The oil leak was completely eliminated only on August 4, thanks to the fact that... To completely seal the well, two additional relief wells had to be drilled, into which cement was also pumped. Full sealing was announced on September 19, 2010.
To eliminate the consequences, tugs, barges, rescue boats, submarines BP company. They were assisted by ships, aircraft and naval equipment from the US Navy and Air Force. More than 1,000 people took part in the liquidation of the consequences, and about 6,000 US National Guard troops were involved. To limit the area of the oil slick, dispersant spraying was used ( active substances, used to settle oil spills). Booms were also installed to contain the spill area. Mechanical oil collection was used, both with the help of special vessels and manually - by volunteers on the US coast. In addition, experts decided to resort to controlled burning of oil spills.
Photo: www.globallookpress.com
Incident investigation
According to an internal investigation conducted by BP safety officials, the accident was blamed on worker errors, technical failures and design flaws in the oil platform itself. The prepared report stated that rig personnel misinterpreted pressure measurements during a well leak test, causing a stream of hydrocarbons rising from the bottom of the well to fill the drilling platform through a vent. After the explosion, as a result of technical shortcomings of the platform, the anti-reset fuse, which was supposed to automatically plug the oil well, did not work.
In mid-September 2010, a report by the Bureau of Ocean Resources Management, Regulation and Conservation and the US Coast Guard was published. It contained 35 causes of the accident, with BP identified as the sole culprit in 21 of them. In particular, main reason neglect of safety standards to reduce well development costs was cited. In addition, the platform employees did not receive comprehensive information about the work at the well, and as a result, their ignorance was superimposed on other errors, which led to the well-known consequences. In addition, among the reasons mentioned bad design wells that do not provide sufficient barriers to oil and gas, as well as insufficient cementing and changes made to the well development design at the very last minute.
Transocean Ltd, the owners of the oil platform, and Halliburton, which carried out the underwater cementing of the well, were named as partly to blame.
Litigation and compensation
The Mexican oil spill trial against the British company BP began on February 25, 2013 in New Orleans (USA). In addition to lawsuits federal authorities, the British company was sued by American states and municipalities.
A federal court in New Orleans has approved the amount of fines that BP must pay for the accident in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The fine will be $4.5 billion. BP will pay the amount over five years. Almost $2.4 billion will be transferred to the National Fund fisheries resources and US wildlife, 350 million - National Academy Sci. In addition, according to the claims of the Commission on securities and US exchanges will be paid $525 million over three years.
On December 25, 2013, the US Court of Appeal ruled that, despite the appeals filed, the British corporation BP must continue to pay claims of organizations and individuals, despite unproven facts of losses as a result of the oil spill. Initially, BP admitted its guilt in the incident only partially, placing part of the responsibility on the platform operator Transocean and subcontractor Halliburton. Transocean agreed in December 2012, but continues to insist that BP bears full responsibility for the accident on the platform.
Environmental implications
After the accident, one-third of the Gulf of Mexico was closed to fishing, and an almost complete ban on fishing was introduced.
Photo: www.globallookpress.com
1,100 miles of state coastline from Florida to Louisiana were polluted, and dead marine life was constantly found on the shore. In particular, about 600 sea turtles, 100 dolphins, more than 6,000 birds and many other mammals were found dead. As a result of the oil spill, mortality among whales and dolphins increased in subsequent years. According to ecologists, the mortality rate of bottlenose dolphins has increased 50 times.
Tropical Coral reefs, located in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, also suffered enormous damage.
Oil has even seeped into the waters of coastal reserves and marshes that play important role in maintaining the vital activity of wildlife and migratory birds.
According to latest research, today the Gulf of Mexico has almost completely recovered from the damage suffered. American oceanologists monitored the growth of reef-forming corals, which cannot live in polluted water, and found that the corals reproduce and grow in their usual rhythm. Biologists note a slight increase in average water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico.
Some researchers have expressed concerns about the impact of the oil accident on the climate-forming Gulf Stream. It was suggested that the current cooled by 10 degrees and began to break up into separate undercurrents. Indeed, some weather anomalies (for example, strong winter frosts in Europe) have been occurring since the oil spill occurred. However, scientists still have not agreed on whether the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is the primary cause climate change and whether it influenced the Gulf Stream.
On April 20, 2010, 80 kilometers off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, killing 11 workers, the derrick itself collapsed, and tons of unrefined oil spilled into the ocean. About 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, polluting shores, devastating urban economies and destroying the environment.
The study of the disaster is still ongoing, the problems of the effectiveness of dispersants and the impact of long-term consequences on the health of people and animals are being considered.
The oil spill that followed the accident became the largest in US history and turned the accident into one of the largest man-made disasters in terms of its negative impact on the environmental situation.
In this post we will look at what happened before and one year after this disaster.
Firefighting vessels battle the Deepwater Horizon fire off the coast of Louisiana on April 21, 2010. (Reuters/U.S. Coast Guard)
The Deepwater Horizon rig burns in the Gulf of Mexico, 80 km southeast of Venice, Louisiana, on April 20. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The ship recovers oil after the Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 28, 2010. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
An aircraft spraying dispersant over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
A school of dolphins in the oily waters of Chandele Bay. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A column of smoke from burning oil off the coast of Louisiana on June 9, 2010. (Reuters/Petty Officer First Class John Masson/U.S. Coast Guard)
Unrefined oil ashore at Orange Beach, Alabama, June 12, 2010. A large amount of oil reached the coast of Alabama, leaving behind puddles with a density of 13-15 cm in some places. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
A young heron dies in oil-contaminated bush after an oil spill in Barataria Bay on May 23, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Environmental Defense Fund expert Angelina Freeman takes a sample of oil in Barataria Bay. (Reuters/Sean Gardner)
Reuters photographer Lee Celano walks through oiled bushes near Pass-a-Loutre, Louisiana, on May 20, 2010. (Reuters/Matthew Biggs)
NASA satellite image of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. (Reuters/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Underwater corals on the bottom of the northern Gulf of Mexico, near the site of the September 2010 oil spill. Scientists are checking whether the disaster harmed the corals. (AP Photo/Discovre Team 2010)
Vessels helping to drill an inclined well at sunset on September 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Courtney Kemp, 27, mourns her husband Roy Watt Kemp, who died in the Deepwater Horizon explosion in Jonesville, Louisiana. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Raindrops on an oil puddle near the disaster site. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
An oil-damaged northern gannet is cleaned up at the Fort Jackson Wildlife Rescue Center on July 1, 2010. (Reuters/Sean Gardner)
The Q4000 drags an explosion-damaged blowout valve on September 4, 2010. The valve, which was removed from the tower and replaced with a new one, will be taken for examination. (Reuters/Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas Blue/U.S. Coast Guard)
Hundreds of cranes and ships in the calm waters of Port Fourchon on December 3, 2010 in Golden Meadow, Louisiana. The bustling port came to a standstill after a ban on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Kerry Maloney)
Healthy roseate spoonbills over Cat Island in Barataria Bay, near Myrtle Grove, on March 31. (Reuters/Sean Gardner)
Tulane University ecologist Jessica Henkel sets up a net to catch visiting birds to collect blood, feces and feather samples at Fourchon Beach April 1. This is part of a research project on the effects of oil leaks in the Gulf of Mexico on birds that stop here during migration. “It's easier to spot a dead pelican on the beach than the consequences of a disaster that might show up in the future,” says Jessica. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Workers clean up oil at Perdido Key National Park in Pensacola, Florida, on March 10. Work to clean up beaches along the Gulf of Mexico is still ongoing. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
A Great Blue Heron sits on a barrier used to protect a beach from the Deepwater Horizon oil leak on June 7, 2010 in Pensacola, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Marine products distribution company owner Darlene Kimball greets customers at the company's office in Pass Christiana, Miss., on March 29. Kimball, who was never reimbursed for the Deepwater Horizon explosion, dreads thinking about where the local government spent BP funds. (AP Photo/Jason Bronis)
A dolphin named Louie at the Dolphin Research Center interacts with veterinarian Kara Field on February 8 in Marathon, Florida. The dolphin was found on September 2, 2010 - it washed up on the beach in Port Fourchon in Louisiana, it was completely soaked in oil. Since then, he has been cared for at the Marine Mammal Research and Education Center in the Florida Keys. Louis arrived at the research facility after being brought back to life at the New Orleans Institute. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Oil-covered dead grass mixed with new growth in Barataria Bay, near Myrtle Grove, Louisiana, on March 31. (Reuters/Sean Gardner)
A dead sea turtle washed ashore in Pass Christiana on April 16. Local activist Shirley Tillman found 20 dead turtles in Mississippi in April alone. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Sunset over the wetlands of Barataria Bay on April 13. Barataria Bay, with its marshes, suffered the most as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil leak. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Hans Holbrook stands in the marshes with speakers blasting birdsong at the annual Christmas Bird Count in Grand Isle, Louisiana, on December 22, 2010. 60,000 bird lovers from all over the Western Hemisphere flock here in the winter to count birds in these areas and submit lists to Audubon. This tradition has been going on for 110 years. (AP Photo/Sean Gardner)
Guests enjoy seafood from the Gulf of Mexico during the Lunch on the Sand: Celebration of the Gulf event in Gulf Shores, Alabama, on April 17. Celebrity chef Guy Phiri served 500 people in honor of the beach clean-up following the disaster a year ago. (Michael Spooneybarger/ AP Images for Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism)
A worker scans a beach for oil residue in Pensacola, Florida, on March 10. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
Louisiana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Secretary Robert Barham holds an armful of oil-covered dead grass at Jimmy's Creek in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Researchers from the Audubon Institute, the National Institute of Oceanography and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries release sea turtles rescued from an oil spill back into the Gulf of Mexico, 72 km off the coast of Louisiana on October 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Price Billiot at a fishing spot in the fishing village of Pointe Au Chêne in Louisiana on January 28, 2011. Billiot is surviving in part thanks to the $65,000 BP PLC paid him in June to reimburse him for business losses. Even before the Gulf of Mexico disaster, the Indian-American village was on the verge of disintegration due to social change and loss of coastal territory. Now Indians who have been fishing all their lives are depending on Kenneth Feinberg, the man handing out checks for billions of dollars in damages after the disaster. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The sun reflects off the blue water where the Deepwater Horizon once stood, almost a year later. The ugly stains of last summer have become fading memories, as if to prove that nature has a way of recovering. However, this is only a shiny surface, the image of which can be deceiving. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
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