Lord Vader

I am surprised there is nothing on the site anywhere about this yet. It has the potential to be much worse than the Valdez spill.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/0...oil-spill.html

Personally, I can't believe that BP is not able to cap the well. I know the well is about 1500m below the surface, but you would think that all drilling companies would have a contingency plan or a way to stop the flow in the event of an emergency. IMO, the number one thing right now is to cap the god damned well. They can't wait 3 months for this to happen, this must be a priority.

The spill is getting worse by the moment and threatens a very delicate area of the coastline, not to mention that there is a good possibility that the oil could get caught up in the gulf stream and wrap around to the Atlantic coast.

Alan2005

Jings posted a thread about this a while ago - with some pictures.

BP and Transocean will have some explaining to do when they've sorted this mess out. I saw a report that suggested that this could cost BP several billion dollars, but then went on to say they made $20B in profit last year. They've got deep pockets, they can afford the clean up operation - if they get it done in a reasonable time frame.

Lord Vader

I agree that BP should be responsible. But this 3 month BS for capping the leak is no effing good. They need to make that a priority. the size of the ecological disaster depends on shutting off the leak.

Alan2005

Yes. I don't really understand why it's such a big deal. There must be a few who work in the oil industry that post on here (there were a couple of diving related threads recently) - would be interesting to here their take.

Novocastrian

^^ Me too.

Anyone?

Jingsamichty

The problem is that the contingency measure is the one that has failed. There is a complex valve/well control system on the wellhead on the seabed called the Blow Out Preventer (BOP) and it is this which has failed. BP are using ROVs (submarine robots) to try to manually control the BOP, but as a BP spokesman said, "It's like trying to do open heart surgery at 5,000 feet using robots."

I read that BP have now fabricated a huge steel dome which they plan to lower over the entire wellhead to contain the oil coming out of the well and pipe it to the surface in a controlled manner. It will still be a week at least before this is ready to be tried.

mutchg1

BP has a 65% interest in the field with Anadarko Petroleum (APC) holding a 25% stake and Japan's Mitsui, 10%. Transocean (RIG) owned the deep-water Horizon rig,

BP had not even touched the well before this happened it was all done by Transocean (the largest ocean drilling company in the world) and had not been handed over to BP yet as completed.
All the news is blaming BP yet none seems to blame Transocean or Cameron International the makers of the failed BOP or Halliburton the company which cemented the well.
Like I said these 3 companys all worked on the failed well which had not been handed over to BP and there partners. Yet BP is the only one in the news.

Novocastrian

Thanks for both posts.

Alan2005

I think legally BP are liable as Transocean are subcontracted by them; however they may be able to sue Transocean if it's their incompetence of malfeasance that caused it (from what I read on news sites)

Ultimately that will be decided when they've sorted this out - right now who's to blame shouldn't really be anybodies concern.

mutchg1

Transocean have $500million dollar isurance on that rig and they only have $700million insurance for enviromental incidents so i dont think that will cover the costs. BP and its partners will pay for the clean up but it irritates me when all the news report thats it BP fault when there are alot more companys involved and BP are the ones being shown as the bad guys.

Novocastrian

I wouldn't let it bother you. BP (and of course Halliburton) are the only companies involved which the non-specialist press and the public have ever previously heard of. BP is also the one (and of course Haliburton) with the deepest pockets to take on the fix.

The lawyers will make their millions later on sorting out the details.

Lord Vader

BP seems to think they are responsible, at least judging by their press releases and actions. I don't doubt that there are others who will bare the brunt as well.

Also, the amount of the spill was severely underestimated which doesn't look good from a PR perspective. It gives the impression of lying or incompetence. It is almost as if the well went out of control a number of days after the explosion that sank the rig.

ExKiwilass

I haven't wanted to talk about it because the whole thing makes me insane.

I saw doco about Alaska, 30 years after Exxon. It has not recovered. Very sad.

I'm hoping they can sort their shit out before the oil hits the coast. because the alternative is, gah.

Alan2005

BP might well be playing a longer game PR wise - be seen to react strongly now, but proved (they hope) not their fault later on.

kate 17

I wish they could suck some of it up. I thought they had machinery for that?
I know this is a big spill though, so perhaps it would be like pissing in the wind.