Kudos to Secretary Chu and the Department of Energy for providing online access to Macondo schematics, pressure tests, diagnostic results and other data. This is the type of data that BOE and others have been requesting. Well done!
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, casing program, Deepwater Horizon, Department of Energy, DOE, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, well control | Leave a Comment »
On June 7th, approximately 14,800 barrels of oil were collected and 30.6 million cubic feet of natural gas flared.
Meanwhile, the challenge of estimating the volume of oil that is not being collected in the production system remains.
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The national media (“We want our lives back!”) continues to make great sacrifices in covering the Gulf spill. This morning a reporter boldly parasailed above the Florida panhandle looking for evidence of oil.
We appreciate the the sacrifices being made by these courageous journalists, and are confident that their efforts will help stop the flow and limit the environmental damage.
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By the end of June, BP hopes to have the following arrangements in place:
- New well cap with improved sealing mechanism
- New seafloor manifold feeding production to a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel
- Shuttle tankers supporting FPSO
- Alternative flow path via choke and kill lines back to the Q4000 support vessel
The challenge will be minimizing production system downtime and the associated spikes in spillage, particularly during hurricane evacuations.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, FPSO, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, well control | Leave a Comment »
Memorial Service for the 11 Men Who Lost Their Lives on the Deepwater Horizon
Video Tributes: Dedicated to the Deepwater Horizon, Deepwater Horizon 11 Missing Tribute, Deepwater Horizon, Deepwater Horizon
These men will never again share special moments with their loved ones, play with their children, joke with their friends, or pursue their special interests. They will never return to a rig to search for the energy we need to strengthen our economy and protect our security. We cannot reverse what has happened, but in their honor, we can collectively do everything possible to reduce the risk of future offshore tragedies.
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When they sheared the riser prior to installing the LMRP cap, the video clearly shows two segments of sheared drill pipe inside the riser. How that happened is a mystery. Did the explosion break the work string into multiple segments which fell back toward the BOP?
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, LMRP cap, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control | 1 Comment »
Vancouver, BC, Canada
The program for the International Regulators’ Offshore Safety Conference has been updated to include keynote presentations on the Montara and Macondo blowouts, and roundtable sessions that will address the lessons learned and how they should be applied by operators, contractors, and regulators. The presentations, discussions, and debates are sure to be thought provoking and informative. If you would like to participate, visit the conference website for more information.
Posted in conferences, IRF, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation | Tagged international, IRF, macondo, Montara, safety, vancouver | Leave a Comment »
From 12:00am to 12:00pm on June 7th, a total of 7,541 barrels of oil were collected and 15 million cubic feet of natural gas was flared.
This is a significant production increase if this rate is sustained. The previous 24-hour total was 11,100 bbls of oil recovered. The gas-oil ratio (GOR) is holding at about 2000, so we’re not seeing much change in the relative gas and oil production rates. At this point, we probably want to see that GOR hold relatively steady or drop, since this effort is all about maximizing the oil flow. If the vents at the top of the cap are primarily releasing gas, leaving these vents open could actually improve oil recovery.
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Dette kan skje igjen (This could happen again)~ Magne Ognedal, Director General, Petroleum Safety Authority Norway
Magne’s quote in the Stavanger Aftenblad acknowledges that tragic accidents like the Macondo/Horizon blowout or Alexander Kielland sinking could happen again (see English translation of full article by BOE Europe Chief Odd Finnestad). Magne goes on to say:
We must appreciate there are risks associated with our petroleum activities, and in our yearly risk assessments we attempt to put in concrete terms what those inherent risks are. It is up to our national political system to determine whether this risk picture should be accepted or not.
and
We must endeavor to learn from whatever happens around the world, and if there is something that is also relevant to Norway we must apply those lessons, both regulators and industry
Industry and government officials would be wise to follow Magne’s lead and avoid “can’t happen here” statements. A few of these statements were made in the US after the Montara (Timor Sea) blowout, and we know how that worked out.
Some very experienced and capable offshore managers have had “there but for the grace of God go I” moments in the wake of this disaster. They know that this is not the time for boasting, piling-on, or schadenfreude. Like Magne, real leaders are focused on monitoring the investigations, studying the findings and recommendations, and applying the lessons as necessary to further reduce their operating risks and the risks of others who conduct offshore oil and gas operations.
Posted in accidents, Norway, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, kielland, macondo, Magne Ognedal, Montara, Norway, oil spill, PSA, safety, well control | Leave a Comment »
