Posted on 06/12/2010 9:23:59 AM PDT by justapicker
This is the most concise explanation of the cause and events leading to the blowout I have seen. Samson is among the most well-regarded exploration companies within that business community and its president has strong words for BP. Bottom line: bad decisions under pressure.
Excerpt:
"Mr. Haywood, chief executive officer of British Petroleum, asks, "How could this happen?" The answer has largely to do with BP's inability to follow its existing well-construction policies and those of the industry generally...
Mr. Hayward and BP have taken the position that this tragedy is all about a fail-safe blow-out preventer (BOP) failing, but in reality the BOP is really the backup system, and yes we expect that it will work. However, all of the industry practice and construction systems are aimed at ensuring that one never has to use that device ...
This well failed its casing integrity test and nothing was done. The data collected during a critical operation to monitor hydrocarbon inflow was ignored and nothing was done. This spill is about human failure and it is time BP put its hand up and admitted that."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Awesome article. Thx for posting. Finally an understandable and credible description of what happened.
Great article at the WSJ link. Best yet.
It does seem as if BP corporate policy has caused this, it is a mess but 11 lives were lost. Nice article written by some one that knows,Thanks for posting.
Solly 'bout double post, they say it's the function of a sloppy clicker?
I am not convinced that the blowout was just human error. I agree that human error certainly contributed. However, I think that the blowout may have occurred even if all procedures were followed. I think a stronger BOP was required in addition to eliminating the well failures.
Answers that beg the question, “Why?” Who made the decision to continue that caused the death of 11 employees, caused huge environmental damage, and a disaster that will set back energy production? To save money? That didn’t work out too well did it? Who gave the order to continue? Prosecute that person, severely.
Might I suggest ... Sabotage?
You mean someone swam 5000 ft. under the ocean in freezing cold water and broke the seal?
Yes, it is. Concise, definitive, and without the sensztionalization we have been getting from the media, from someone who knows and understands wellsite operations.
Thanks for the ping!
The BOP is the last line of defence before you lose control of the well. In the article, Mr. Barr lays out the several occasions that actions of the personnel involved could have controlled the well, even without closing the BOP, had the appropriate actions been taken.
Thanks for posting this very clearly-written explanation of what went wrong.
There are three companies involved PLUS the federal oversears of the drilling, inspectors. Where were they? WATCHING PORN MOVIES UPWARDS TO 8 HOURS A DAY!!!! Reckon you could say they ‘fell asleep at the flick’.
Another subject, but related to the oil mess. Who or what caused our current financial failures? Is is a ‘system’ failure or a ‘human’ failure? In my opinion it is and was a human failure perpetrated by incompetent, greedy and selfish politicians. And which event will, in the long run, will cause more damage and affect more people? The oil spill or the financial ‘spill’. You decide.
Maybe, maybe not. Really hard to make that case though, considering some moronic, cowardly or dastardly human was apparently calling the shots to ignore & bypass one warning sign and potential solution after another. That's enough for me.
Question is - why? Does BP employ incompetents? Why were obvious warning signs ignored and orders given to move full steam ahead? Once humans are involved and identified as the primary culprits, the sky's the limit.
Imagining the scenario that must have been taking place as one warning sign after another was ignored reminded me of the chapter in Atlas Shrugged where the morons and cowards working for Taggart Transcontinental bowed to political and administrative pressure, refused to take personal responsibility to do the right thing, and sent the train into the tunnel - ultimately resulting in huge loss of life & property. Sounds similar to this situation.
What makes you think that when that and other similar BOPs worked up until that string of errors with documented consequences?
“What makes you think that when that and other similar BOPs worked up until that string of errors with documented consequences?”
The pressures in the well were extreme. I am not sure if the pressures were just due to human error in the well head construction. It is clear that human errors resulted in dangerous conditions in the well, but BOP design should also be carefully considered in prevention of future disasters.
...So you want a computer program to override human incompetence, not gonna happen.
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