Archive for June, 2010
Riser Cut; Cap Will be Installed Soon
Posted in Uncategorized on June 3, 2010| 2 Comments »
Thursday Morning Commentary – 3 June
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, bp, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on June 3, 2010| 2 Comments »
- “Worst environmental disaster in US history” – Reporters may want to wait until all of the data are in before making those kind of statements. Largest oil spill doesn’t necessarily equate to the worst environmental disaster. Some very large spills have had minimal long-term environmental damage, while the effects of some smaller spills have been quite serious. The extensive long-term monitoring program will give us the answers.
- Loss of wetlands – Louisiana has experienced serious wetland losses for years with little attention from the national media. The barrier islands, which were approved by Admiral Allen, have been on the drawing board for some time and are primarily for wetlands restoration purposes. Ironically, these islands may not have been approved and funded were it not for the oil spill.
- BP employees – I’d like to see some reporting from the standpoint of typical BP employees. Their lives have also been shattered. The very existence of their company, which has lost 1/4 of its market value, is threatened. While few BP employees had anything to do with the Macondo disaster, they are all working hard to set things right and continue their domestic and international operations. It must be frustrating to realize that no matter how hard they work, it won’t be good enough to satisfy the critics.
- Will the national reaction do more damage than the spill? US production is threatened in the Gulf and elsewhere, and jobs are already being lost. Preventing offshore drilling and production doesn’t prevent oil consumption. As long as we consume oil, there will be a risk of spilling it during the production and transportation process. We need to better manage those risks. We didn’t eliminate tanker transport after Valdez, and we shouldn’t eliminate offshore exploration and production in the wake of Macondo. Let’s not boycott ourselves and make OPEC the primary beneficiary of this disaster.
- “Nationalize BP”- Just when you thought the commentary couldn’t get any sillier, you hear this kind of nonsense. Hugo Chavez must be smiling.
Odds and Ends
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on June 2, 2010| Leave a Comment »
- Kudos: To Admiral Landry for a job well done. Since April 20, she has had the most challenging and thankless job in America, and performed it very well. I’m sure she is happy to return to her “day job.”
- Remarkable: The work done by the ROVs and the people who deploy and control them. If you haven’t watched the feed, check it out.
- Impressive: Admiral Allen’s briefings. His summaries are concise and informative. His responses to questions are direct. Not much repetitive boilerplate.
- Improved: More complete and detailed information is being provided on the the well intervention work.
- Prediction: The LMRP cap will be successfully installed and will soon be recovering most of the oil. We should be able to observe the key operations on the ROV cameras. This will be very interesting, particularly when the final cut is made and the cap is installed.
The Psychology of Well Control
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged blowouts, drilling, macondo, psychology, safety, Sonnemann, well control on June 1, 2010| Leave a Comment »
I was in the audience almost 18 years ago when Paul Sonnemann made an outstanding presentation on the thought processes and human response tendencies that contribute to well control incidents and other accidents. These tendencies may have been significant contributing factors at both Montara and Macondo. With Paul’s permission I have attached a copy of his 1992 paper. I strongly suggest that you read it.
While considering new regulations, standards, and procedures, the industry and government need to look closely at the issues identified in Paul’s paper.
Macondo Blowout: Finger Pointing Guide
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Coast Guard, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, Minerals Management Service, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on June 1, 2010| 1 Comment »
The Washington Salute - "You Did It!"
Not surprisingly, the finger pointing in Washington is as out-of-control as the well that precipitated it. This public spectacle is now more closely followed than the actual spill response. As a result, perceptions become reality and reality is altered to support perceptions.
If you want to participate in the bash-fest and dare to compete with Washington’s best, here are some tips:
- Shoot high; go after the top dogs. Blast President Obama, President Bush, and every other President going back to James Buchanan. Why did Buchanan allow Colonel Drake to drill the first oil-well in Buchanan’s home state of Pennsylvania in 1859. Why wasn’t he more visible when the well started to flow? Where was his leadership? Did you see the mess? No wonder they call it Oil Creek.
- Criticize every Secretary of the Interior starting with Albert Fall who in 1922 leased, without competitive bidding, the Teapot Dome fields to Harry Sinclair of Sinclair Oil. Talk about the culture of corruption which Fall fostered and the Department’s inability to clean house.
- Humiliate every employee of the MMS. When you are pointing the finger, don’t worry about getting the bureau’s name right (90% of the critics don’t). Feel free to call it the Minerals and Mining Service, Marine Minerals Survey, Mineral Management Service (which mineral?), Minerals Management Services (which services?) or any other name you can say with a snarl. Be sure to make some juvenile comment about how the MMS is literally in bed with industry. Don’t bother to read the investigation reports which show how few people were actually involved and are much less sensational than the media accounts.
- Take a cheap shot at the Coast Guard by shouting that the military needs to take over the spill response. Sadly, even some retired military officers have made such comments. They should know better.
- Take shots at whale lovers. If it weren’t for them we could go back to burning whale oil.
- Criticize alternative energy proponents for the slow pace of renewable energy development. Point out how Cape Wind has been dragging their feet on the Nantucket Sound project. (BTW, it was the maligned employees of MMS who took the initiative, on their own, to draft the legislation that provided a framework for offshore renewable energy development. Were it not for their leadership, renewable energy development would have been even further delayed.)
- Take a few swipes at BP, Transocean, Halliburton, and Cameron, but save your best shots for other oil industry targets. BP et al are too easy for the real pros. Talk about your vast experience in working with this industry. If that’s too big of a stretch, even by Washington standards, talk about your friend or relative who worked in the industry.
- Point to past incidents regardless of their relevance. Disregard historical data that contradict your position.
- Don’t criticize US energy consumption, at least not if you have any political ambitions. Consumption is fine; production is the problem.
- Lastly, take your shots with great confidence. Style is more important than substance. Be loud and certain.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 