[freethinker_for_freedom]

I think they call it a “Sub-Sea Safety Valve (SSSV)”, or something similar, but I’ve heard that they are not required, and perhaps BP didn’t put one on this well.

[proud_yank]

I think they call it a “Sub-Sea Safety Valve (SSSV)”, or something similar, but I’ve heard that they are not required, and perhaps BP didn’t put one on this well.

My understanding is that SSSVs are placed on a well after it has been completed. There would have been a blow-out preventer (BOP) on this well, obviously, it did not function properly. A BOP is a very large piece of steel and when activated it shears the well tubing, stopping flow. Why it did not function is the big question I have. I don't know if it was because controls were damaged with the rig explosion, and why it would not function as a fail-safe when the well failed.