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Posts Tagged ‘Deepwater Horizon’
Judge Overturns Moratorium
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Deepwater Horizon, macondo, moratorium on June 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Who Benefits from Macondo?
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, Montara, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on June 22, 2010| 1 Comment »
We know about the Macondo victims, most notably the 11 men who died and their families, but who stand to benefit from the blowout?
- OPEC – Will OPEC’s market share grow as the US and others prevent or delay production?
- West Africa and Brazil – Better rates and availability for deepwater rigs?
- PTTEP (Montara) – Not receiving much attention as BP draws all the flack
- Shale gas – Can the huge promise be realized? Will natural gas gain an increased share of the transportation market?
- Alternative Energy – Are these industries ready to step up?
- Spill response research – Government and industry oil spill research funding always jumps after major spills.
- Nuclear industry – Perhaps, but Macondo may remind people that “the unthinkable” can happen.
- Lawyers – The only sure winners. The litigation spectacular has already begun.
Macondo and Montara Shorts
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, Australia, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, Montara, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on June 21, 2010| Leave a Comment »
No Love for Long Strings – The rest of the industry has distanced itself from BP’s casing program, swearing their allegiance to tiebacks.
CEO sails while “small people” suffer – The PR disaster continues for BP.
BP partner seeks annulment – The first shots in the multi-billion dollar BP-Anadarko dispute have been fired. Look for new liability clauses in operating agreements and regulations.
Who is in charge and accountable? – Macondo, like Montara, was entirely preventable. Know who is in charge, and make sure they are competent and cautious leaders. As a friend told me yesterday, the best technology can be undone by human arrogance.
Just ‘Roo It! – Australia’s investigation process works great until it comes to releasing reports. Varanus Island deja vu?
Storm watch – Another common concern for Montara and Macondo – the onset of hurricane/cyclone season. We need about six more weeks (preferably more) until the first hurricane evacuations in the Gulf.
Sad irony – The first FPSO production in the Gulf of Mexico is at the Macondo field.
90+% recovery – Promised soon with new well cap and production systems.
Relief? – First relief well is ahead of schedule. Has a well ever been more anticipated and needed?
Aftermath – While the chance of BP operating Macondo is virtually zero, will PTTEP be allowed to continue operating Montara?
Not My Job Award Nomination, but for whom?
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, Montara, Not My Job Award, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on June 19, 2010| Leave a Comment »
BP Gas Station
In addition to the obvious irony in this BP gas station’s warning sign, perhaps there is a separate and unintended message in the sign’s last 3 lines – “you are responsible for spills.” The gasoline that we purchase at the pump does not just arrive there magically. That gasoline is the end product of a complex exploration, production, transportation, and refining process. When we consume petroleum products (and other forms of energy), we are tacitly accepting the associated environmental risks. If we aren’t comfortable with those risks, we should look at our own habits and how they contribute.
BP is responsible for the Macondo spill. However, our own lifestyle decisions are the reason for the extraordinary demand for the oil that BP and other companies produce. We can’t blame BP for the intractable sprawl, congestion, and pollution that have resulted from those decisions.
Dual Production System Ups Macondo Recovery to 25,000 bopd
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, oil spill, safety, well control on June 18, 2010| Leave a Comment »
25,290 barrels of oil were recovered on 17 June through the dual production system – 16,020 bbls through the LMRP cap to the Enterprise and 9,270 bbls (burned) via the choke/kill lines to the Q4000.
Macondo Melodrama, Montara Mystery
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, Australia, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, Montara, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on June 17, 2010| Leave a Comment »
If the contrast between the Montara and Macondo political responses wasn’t already evident, take a look at today’s events. While Tony Hayward was being hammered once again at a congressional hearing despite establishing a $20 billion damage payment fund, Australian Resources Minister Martin Ferguson seems to be in no hurry to release the Montara Inquiry Report. According to Australia Broadcasting, Mr. Ferguson says he has to take into account legal considerations:
So as to ensure that I do not prejudice any potential further investigations which could include criminal offenses, or undermine any natural justice considerations of any individuals.
Say what? How about preventing future accidents?
Appointments
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged blowouts, Bromwich, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, macondo, MMS, National Commission, offshore oil, oil spill, safety on June 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Michael Bromwich
Michael Bromwich, a former Federal prosecutor, will lead the reorganization of the Minerals Management Service into two new bureaus and a minerals revenue office. I hope he meets as many MMS personnel as time allows. He will be pleasantly surprised by their knowledge, integrity, and commitment.
In addition to former Senator Bob Graham and former EPA Administrator Bill Reilly, President Obama named the following individuals to head the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling:
Frances G. Beinecke: President of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a non-profit corporation that works to advance environmental policy in the United States and across the world.
Donald “Don” Boesch: President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, where he is also a professor of Marine Science and vice chancellor for Environmental Sustainability for the University System of Maryland.
Terry D. Garcia: Executive vice president for mission programs for the National Geographic Society.
Cherry A. Murray: Appointed dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences in July 2009, and the past president of the American Physical Society.
Frances Ulmer: Chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), Alaska’s largest public university.
Transocean Internal Investigation – Interim Report
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 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »
BOP Testing Timeline
Transocean’s interim report is circulating online. Click here: Transocean Investigation
House Energy and Commerce Letter to BP: Montara Deja Vu
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, Australia, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, Montara, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on June 15, 2010| 2 Comments »
A BP plan review prepared in mid-April recommended against the full string of casing because it would create “an open annulus to the wellhead” and make the seal assembly at the wellhead the “only barrier” to gas flow if the cement job failed. Despite this and other warnings, BP chose the more risky casing option, apparently because the liner option would have cost $7 to $10 million more and taken longer.
While the circumstances and details differ significantly, Montara (Timor Sea blowout) flashed across my mind repeatedly while reading this informative letter from Chairmen Waxman and Stupak to BP. Common themes:
- Well integrity roulette: high risk well design
- Suspect production casing cement job
- Only one questionable barrier above the cement
- Multiple poor decisions on barriers
- Schedule concerns, time and efficiency pressure
- Failure to run Cement Bond Log and conduct confirming tests
- Mud weight and conditioning issues
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 