Macondo Well Deepwater Horizon Blowout

Macondo Well Deepwater Horizon Blowout
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2012-03-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309221412

The blowout of the Macondo well on April 20, 2010, led to enormous consequences for the individuals involved in the drilling operations, and for their families. Eleven workers on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig lost their lives and 16 others were seriously injured. There were also enormous consequences for the companies involved in the drilling operations, to the Gulf of Mexico environment, and to the economy of the region and beyond. The flow continued for nearly 3 months before the well could be completely killed, during which time, nearly 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the gulf. Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout examines the causes of the blowout and provides a series of recommendations, for both the oil and gas industry and government regulators, intended to reduce the likelihood and impact of any future losses of well control during offshore drilling. According to this report, companies involved in offshore drilling should take a "system safety" approach to anticipating and managing possible dangers at every level of operation-from ensuring the integrity of wells to designing blowout preventers that function under all foreseeable conditions-in order to reduce the risk of another accident as catastrophic as the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. In addition, an enhanced regulatory approach should combine strong industry safety goals with mandatory oversight at critical points during drilling operations. Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout discusses ultimate responsibility and accountability for well integrity and safety of offshore equipment, formal system safety education and training of personnel engaged in offshore drilling, and guidelines that should be established so that well designs incorporate protection against the various credible risks associated with the drilling and abandonment process. This book will be of interest to professionals in the oil and gas industry, government decision makers, environmental advocacy groups, and others who seek an understanding of the processes involved in order to ensure safety in undertakings of this nature.

UK deepwater drilling - implications of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill

UK deepwater drilling - implications of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Energy and Climate Change Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2011-01-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780215555793

On 20 April 2010, a blowout of BP's Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico led to the deaths of 11 workers on Transocean's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, and the release of an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil. The European Commission called for a moratorium but the UK government decided its regulatory controls were fit for purpose. However a full review of the oil and gas environmental regulatory regime would be undertaken. The Committee believes that the UK has high regulatory standards - as exemplified by the Safety Case regime that was set up in response to the 1988 Piper Alpha tragedy in 1988. The blowout in the Gulf of Mexico could have been prevented if the last-line of defence - the blind shear ram on the blowout preventer had activated and crushed the drill pipe. Given the importance of this equipment the committee recommends prescribing specifically that blowout preventers should have two blind shear rams and that simple, potential failures mustn't be left unchecked. The Committee also recommends that the Bly report conclusions, BP's internal investigation, be considered alongside observations of other companies involved. They believe that should an oil spill resulting from drilling activities occur in the UK there needs to be an absolute clarity as to the identity of the responsible party, and that liability legislation needs to ensure prompt compensation. They conclude that any calls for increased oversight of the UK offshore industry should be rejected in favour of multilateral approaches to regulation and oil spill response

Deepwater Horizon

Deepwater Horizon
Author: Earl Boebert
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2016-09-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0674545230

On April 20, 2010, the crew of the floating drill rig Deepwater Horizon lost control of the Macondo oil well forty miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Escaping gas and oil ignited, destroying the rig, killing eleven crew members, and injuring dozens more. The emergency spiraled into the worst human-made economic and ecological disaster in Gulf Coast history. Senior systems engineers Earl Boebert and James Blossom offer the most comprehensive account to date of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Sifting through a mountain of evidence generated by the largest civil trial in U.S. history, the authors challenge the commonly accepted explanation that the crew, operating under pressure to cut costs, made mistakes that were compounded by the failure of a key safety device. This explanation arose from legal, political, and public relations maneuvering over the billions of dollars in damages that were ultimately paid to compensate individuals and local businesses and repair the environment. But as this book makes clear, the blowout emerged from corporate and engineering decisions which, while individually innocuous, combined to create the disaster. Rather than focusing on blame, Boebert and Blossom use the complex interactions of technology, people, and procedures involved in the high-consequence enterprise of offshore drilling to illustrate a systems approach which contributes to a better understanding of how similar disasters emerge and how they can be prevented.

Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling: Report to the President, January 2011

Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling: Report to the President, January 2011
Author: National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Dril
Publisher: Government Printing Office
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2011-05-24
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9780160873720

On April 20, 2010, the Macondo well blew out, costing the lives of 11 men, and beginning a catastrophe that sank the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and spilled nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill disrupted an entire region’s economy, damaged fisheries and critical habitats, and brought vividly to light the risks of deepwater drilling for oil and gas—the latest frontier in the national energy supply. Soon after, President Barack Obama appointed a seven-member Commission to investigate the disaster, analyze its causes and effects, and recommend the actions necessary to minimize such risks in the future. The Commission’s report offers the American public and policymakers alike the fullest account available of what happened in the Gulf and why, and proposes actions—changes in company behavior, reform of government oversight, and investments in research and technology—required as industry moves forward to meet the nation’s energy needs.

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Author: Curry L. Hagerty
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 51
Release: 2010-10
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1437934730

On April 20, 2010, an explosion and fire occurred on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). This resulted in 11 worker fatalities, a massive oil release, and a national response effort in the GoM region by the federal and state governments as well as BP. Contents of this report: (1) Intro.; (2) Setting in the GoM: Oil and Gas Recovery; Weather and Ocean Currents; Biological Resources; (3) Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling Technology; (4) Fed. Statutory Framework; (5) Fed. Regulatory Framework; (6) Environmental and Economic Impacts; (7) Labor Issues; (8) Reorganization of Minerals Mgmt. Service; (9) FEMA Issues; Exxon Valdez; Recent Regional Disaster History; (10) Conclusion. Charts and tables.

Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment

Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 350
Release: 2014-08-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 030929889X

U.S. Arctic waters north of the Bering Strait and west of the Canadian border encompass a vast area that is usually ice covered for much of the year, but is increasingly experiencing longer periods and larger areas of open water due to climate change. Sparsely inhabited with a wide variety of ecosystems found nowhere else, this region is vulnerable to damage from human activities. As oil and gas, shipping, and tourism activities increase, the possibilities of an oil spill also increase. How can we best prepare to respond to such an event in this challenging environment? Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment reviews the current state of the science regarding oil spill response and environmental assessment in the Arctic region north of the Bering Strait, with emphasis on the potential impacts in U.S. waters. This report describes the unique ecosystems and environment of the Arctic and makes recommendations to provide an effective response effort in these challenging conditions. According to Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment, a full range of proven oil spill response technologies is needed in order to minimize the impacts on people and sensitive ecosystems. This report identifies key oil spill research priorities, critical data and monitoring needs, mitigation strategies, and important operational and logistical issues. The Arctic acts as an integrating, regulating, and mediating component of the physical, atmospheric and cryospheric systems that govern life on Earth. Not only does the Arctic serve as regulator of many of the Earth's large-scale systems and processes, but it is also an area where choices made have substantial impact on life and choices everywhere on planet Earth. This report's recommendations will assist environmentalists, industry, state and local policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of this special region to preserve and protect it from damaging oil spills.