April 21, 2010 by offshoreenergy
11 workers still not accounted for.
According to the latest US Coast Guard release:
Updated reports indicate that there were 126 people on board the MODU at the time of the explosion.
One-hundred-fifteen crewmembers have been accounted for. Of those accounted for:
- Seventeen crewmembers were medevaced from the scene
- Ninety-four crewmembers are being transferred to shore at Port Fourchon aboard the Damien Baxton, an offshore supply vessel. There are no major injuries reported for these members.
- Four crewmembers have been transferred to another vessel
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, offshore oil, safety, well control | Leave a Comment »
April 21, 2010 by offshoreenergy
Contrary to an earlier report (see below), the Coast Guard has told Upstream that the 11 workers are still missing and the search continues.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Louisiana, offshore oil, seeps, well control | Leave a Comment »
April 21, 2010 by offshoreenergy
Coast Guard Photo
“It’s burning pretty good and there’s no estimate on when the fire will be put out.” Mike O’Berry, US Coast Guard
The Coast Guard is hoping to locate the missing in an escape capsule or life raft. link
All BP personnel are reported to be safe.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, offshore oil, safety, well control | Leave a Comment »
April 21, 2010 by offshoreenergy
Preliminary (and unsubstantiated) information:
- Fire is uncontrolled
- BOPE actuated
- MSRC activated (oil spill response cooperative)
- Search and rescue ongoing
- Rig is listing
- Approximately 20,000 bbl diesel on rig
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April 21, 2010 by offshoreenergy
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7 critical injuries
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11-12 missing
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The fire is still burning
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April 21, 2010 by offshoreenergy
Deepwater Horizon
The Coast Guard is reporting an explosion last night on the Deepwater Horizon, a Transocean drillship working for BP in the Gulf of Mexico. The Horizon was working in Mississippi Canyon Block 253 about 52 miles off the coast of Venice.
Details are sketchy, but 126 people are reported to have been evacuated. Local news is reporting 8 critical injuries and some missing personnel.
Posted in accidents | Tagged accidents, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, offshore, offshore oil, safety | 1 Comment »
April 20, 2010 by offshoreenergy
My experience is that you unfortunately often need a major accident or even a disaster to engender political support for streamlining regulatory regimes. Moreover, history shows that major accidents apparently must happen in your own jurisdiction to have such an effect on political support. Magne Ognedal
Magne’s astute comment repeatedly came to mind while I was reading the Montara testimony. Our political systems are good at reacting, but are not so good at making tough decisions when the spotlight is elsewhere. Crises provide the political capital needed to make major changes, but seldom yield the best solutions.
Will the Montara blowout provide the impetus needed for other countries to review and improve their offshore regulatory regimes? These Montara issues should be of concern to all of us:
- Multiple regulators with unclear divisions of responsibility
- Regulatory gaps and overlap
- Ineffective use of standards and best practices
- Lack of clarity regarding operator and contractor responsibility and accountability
- Balancing goal-setting with prescription
- Monitoring operations effectively without taking “ownership”
- Applying regulatory resources efficiently and where the risk is greatest
- Absence of meaningful performance measures for operators and regulators
- Authority to remove rogue operators
- Ability to update standards and regulations in a timely manner
- Weaknesses in training programs for operators, contractors, and regulators
I’ll stop at ten (now eleven :)).
Many of these issues will be discussed at the International Regulators’ Offshore Safety Conference in Vancouver (18-20 October). I hope you plan to attend!
Posted in accidents, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, well control incidents | Tagged Australia, blowouts, Magne Ognedal, Montara, offshore oil, Regulation, safety | Leave a Comment »
April 16, 2010 by offshoreenergy
Like mowing a 40 acre field with a 1/4 inch lawn mower. ~ Ed Tennyson, 1989
Reading today’s transcript reminded me of my colleague Ed Tennyson’s famous comment about the response to the Valdez spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Ed’s comment, which appeared on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, was typically colorful and fitting. A media darling, Ed was given a time-out for that one, but rebounded nicely.
I’m not suggesting that the Montara spill and response were a mismatch of Valdez proportions. The Montara responders seemed to be competent and made reasonable decisions. However, the testimony does suggest the need for some improvements in the response regime. A few observations:
- There appears to be a need to clarify responsibilities and liability limits for studies and damages. Also, consideration should be given to an oil spill trust fund (paid for by a per barrel production and transportation fee) to cover any additional authorized costs.
- It seems that all of the slick monitoring was visual. Mr. Berger is right in alleging that there are now more accurate methods. AMSA should investigate aerial slick mapping and thickness measurement capabilities.
- It seems at least one Federal agency did not step up and provide requested assistance during the crisis. Further explanation is necessary.
- When a well is blowing out, you shouldn’t rely solely on slick data to estimate the spill rate. PTTEP should have used reservoir and well design data to model the flow and estimate the spillage rate.
Howe (Commission): I have been absolutely struck by the technology and the accuracy of the transcript and the promptness with which it comes up
Amen to that; great job by the recorders!
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, Australia, blowouts, drilling, Montara, offshore oil, safety, well control | Leave a Comment »
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Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 