Posted on 04/22/2010 7:36:09 AM PDT by metmom
NEW ORLEANSA massive fire on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico left 11 workers missing and cast a pall over an offshore drilling boom that stands to dramatically lift U.S. energy output.
View Full Image ipadphoto Associated Press
The Deepwater Horizon rig was listing in the Gulf of Mexico as rescuers sought the missing. The platform, operated by a contractor for BP, is part of a deep-offshore drilling boom seen as key to future U.S. output. ipadphoto ipadphoto
Rescuers scoured the Gulf for the unaccounted workers late Wednesday as firefighters struggled to quench a towering fire that forced all aboard to flee.
The blaze on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which broke out around 10 p.m. central Tuesday night, thrust a geyser of flames and smoke into the sky about 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Seventeen people were injured, three critically, rescue officials said.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
The rig has now sunk and its uncontrolled pumping 300,000 gallons a day sweet crude into the Gulf and the rig was in waters over 4,000’ deep.
There go oil prices.....
I have worked a number of wells that blew out, but none burned. We had a 300 foot flare for three days on one before we got it under control, brought up 14 pound mud like it was nothing. Melted a fence,burned up a pasture and made a 5 1/2 drill pipe relief line glow cherry red.
I am assuming my cousin wasn't working on that rig as we haven't heard anything.
Ignoring what? Who? Where?
Oil? Gas? What's that?
For myself, that’s the first that I’ve that what you say is the case. And, of course, you are right, no one in their right mind or with good will would ever suggest a cut in production with a P&A well.
Of course, being mens sana and of good will is becoming more and more a state I find lacking in leftists and progressives, especially ones assigned the task of speaking the establishment mind on TV and radio, so a lot of people won’t even be aware that what you say is so and they will continue to think that cuts in production are to be expected.
Which then might well be provided to them, given they are now expected and all.
H2S can cause pitting, but with sea water already in play, I would assume the appropriate measures were taken into consideration. A more common issue with HS2 is embrittlment, but that is generally a pipe issue and would bake out between jobs.
I suspect (as noted by other posters) someone used the wrong O-ring. The doors on the BOP will open and close just a smidge with cycles of pressure and an improper ring (say a round one on a square door) will creep in and get “eaten” —— no loss of control until you have a catastrophic loss of control.
“BP operation, they are very safety obsessed.”
Ever since they’ve had a queer CEO, they’ve been odd.
I don’t care for BP; dealt with them in New Mexico. They use contract company men who don’t know what they are doing, waste money, then bitch about rig time.
I will ONLY do day rate for BP, NEVER footage.
While there’s no lack of water with which to extinguish the flames, what they’re doing looks no more effective than spitting on it.
True. And obviously, it was about that effective...it’s so sad for the families of the missing.
My dad tells a story about attending an offshore drilling update for the Gulf where "Christmas Tree Safety" was the first thing on the agenda. He was wondering why Christmas tree safety was on a drilling agenda when they started the meeting and explained how to keep your tree from getting dry and catching fire! 50 guys making 50-100,000 a day with 100-150 degrees talking real Christmas trees!!!
“I think BP TALKS a good story about safety. 10 years ago when they started that “Beyond the Best” crap and then found out they were nowhere near the best at anything.”
Simply a play on words. They didn’t specify which direction they are “Beyond the Best”.
If you don’t actually know about oilfield Christmas trees you talk about what you may know something about. Just saying.
Christmas trees, holiday safety, gardening safety and such are all the rage in corp safety circles these days. Some of the mandatory monthly safety observations would be just downright entertaining were they not such a waste of time and assets.
Sorry that is not correct. They had an entire department at West Lake devoted to making them the best at every aspect of what they did. If you want I can get names of some of those involved. It has been 10 years or more and I will have to ask people older than I am.
...cast a pall over an offshore drilling boom that stands to dramatically lift U.S. energy output.If only we could hook up our generators to the spin from partisan media shills. Thanks metmom.
The only alternative energy source I would accept is synthetic fuel.
They need to keep working then and good luck to them.
The thing is going to kill the Gulf if they dont get it stopped real soon.
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