[D-fendr]

Ixtoc was in 50 feet of water. This is under 5000 feet. It’s different:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/national/excerptfrom2003report.pdf

[Wonder Warthog]

"Ixtoc was in 50 feet of water. This is under 5000 feet."

Yup, it's different. A release in shallow water is more environmentally dangerous than one in deep water. Formation of smaller oil-in-water drops and emulstions means that the natural bacteria can dispose of the oil faster.