It has been over a month since the floating Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20th. The oil spill has yet to be contained or stopped. Although it is difficult to pinpoint the exact amount of oil being gushed into the ocean, scientists believe the spill is in the range of 76,000 to 104,000 barrels a day – approximately 3,192,000 to 4,368,000 gallons of crude oil a day.
Spill, baby, spill
It has been over a month since the floating Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20th. The oil spill has yet to be contained or stopped. Although it is difficult to pinpoint the exact amount of oil being gushed into the ocean, scientists believe the spill is in the range of 76,000 to 104,000 barrels a day – approximately 3,192,000 to 4,368,000 gallons of crude oil a day. According to Florida State University, the gusher is estimated to be five times larger than earlier government predictions. Other sources suggest the spill may even exceed the new estimate to 16 times the original approximate.
The estimated quantity of crude oil, in gallons, in the Gulf of Mexico is:
Rig historyThe drilling rig was originally built in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries for R&B Falcon, purchased by Transocean in 2001. Since arriving in the Gulf of Mexico, the rig has been under a leasing contract for British Petroleum (BP). In October 2009, the rig was contracted to be leased for the next three years, starting in September 2010, for $544 million or $469,800 a day. Before its demise, Deepwater Horizon’s work included the drilling of wells in the Thunder Horse Oil Fields, Atlantis, and a 2006 discovery of oil in the Kaskida fields – all in the Gulf of Mexico.During 2009, the rig was used to drill the Tiber oilfield with a vertical deepwater depth of 35,050 feet (10,680 meters).The accidentPrior to the accident, Deepwater Horizon was situated approximately 40 miles from the shoreline of Louisiana. Immediately prior to the accident, the deepwater rig was focusing on cementing a casing to reinforce the well walls. Halliburton was responsible for the cementing on the casing – which they said was completed without a problem 20 hours before the explosion. However, Halliburton has confirmed that the cement plug was never set to cap the bore because the drilling was not in the final stages of completion. On April 30th, Halliburton received a letter from the US House Energy and Commerce Committee requesting their presence on May 5th with relative documentation. The letter also stated that “Problems with cementing have frequently been identified as the causes of well blowouts.”On April 20th, Deepwater Horizon experienced an oil well blowout that killed 11 platform workers, injured 17, and caused an oil slick covering the surface area of at least 2,500 square miles. According to Transocean’s VP, Adrian Rose, workers were performing all standard tasks without an indication of any problems prior to the explosion. Rose added that “undoubtedly abnormal pressure” had accumulated inside the marine riser and as it came up it “expanded rapidly and ignited”. Transocean’s Chief Executive, Steven Newman, described the cause of the accident as “a sudden, catastrophic failure of the cement, the casing or both.” According to a report by 60 Minutes, the blowout preventer was also damaged in an accident four weeks before the April 20 explosion, and BP overruled the drilling operator on key operations. BP declined to comment on the report. The US Government is continuing the investigation regarding the origins of the rig failure. Clean-up & Dispersant Currently, BP has been using their choice of dispersant, Corexit 9500, to help break down the oil. The EPA raised concerns on May 20th about the dispersant as a human and wildlife health issue, saying that the long-term effects remain unknown. EPA and United States Coast Guard are perusing investigations on how this dispersant will ultimately impact the ecosystem on the Gulf. According to a Good Morning America scuba diver, the dispersant is merely breaking down the oil into smaller particles which may give it access to ocean currents and high depths. This has been a main concern for many environmentalists and scientists. The EPA has urged BP to use less dispersant, but in an effective manner. Watch the GMA video below to see the oil 25 – 30 feet below the water’s surface.
According to a press release by BP on May 25th, they have pledged a commitment of up to $500 million to an open research program studying the impact of the Deepwater Horizon incident, and its associated response, on the marine and shoreline environment of the Gulf of Mexico. At this time, approximately 65 miles of the Louisiana shoreline have been directly impacted and engulfed by crude oil. Clean-up crews are deliberately trying to contain the situation, but a lot of work remains.On May 26th, BP will be attempting to plug the gusher with a method called Top Kill. Heavy “kill mud” is pumped down a drill pipe, then through hoses that go through the manifold on the seafloor. The mud then moves through another set of hoses attached to the Deepwater Horizon blow-out preventer’s choke and kill lines, then into the well stopping the leak.Watch the video below to learn more about the Top Kill process (courtesy of Deepwater Horizon Response).[youtube]EA87WL5K25g[/youtube]What you can do to help?!?Millions of gallons later and the gusher has yet to be tamed. Numerous organizations are responding to necessary clean-ups, while attempting to prevent further contamination of shores, flora and fauna. The Sierra Club is gathering volunteers to help with the clean-up efforts on the Gulf Coast. Sign up online to volunteer and the Sierra Club will help you find the right opportunities for you. In addition, make sure to sign the Sierra Club petition which sends a message to President Obama urging him to stop offshore drilling.BP Continues to Process Damage ClaimsThe administration will continue to hold the relevant companies accountable for repairing the damage and repaying Americans who’ve suffered a financial loss. BP continues to process claims via its claims website (www.bp.com/claims) and its helpline (1-800-440-0858). To file a claim, visit www.bp.com/claims or call BP’s helpline at 1-800-440-0858. Those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution can call the Coast Guard at (800) 280-7118.]]>
