Posts Tagged ‘Deepwater Horizon’
Judge Holds Department of the Interior in Contempt Over Drilling Moratorium
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil on February 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Louisiana Parishes Send Letter to President Obama
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety on February 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »
The Louisiana coastal parishes are united in working with each other and with you to see the drilling process expedited as quickly as possible. It is imperative to our collective economies that we move forward with the process of providing the energy that moves our nation.
Cuban Directional Drilling
Posted in cuba, tagged Deepwater Horizon, drilling, offshore oil on February 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »
After reading our previous Cuba post, Paul Post reminded BOE that Cuba has been drilling directional wells from shore to offshore targets for many years. He sent along some images from a 2005 report on Sherritt International Corporation’s operations in Cuba. Two of those images are pasted above and below.
Update on Deepwater Horizon BOP Testing
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, relief well, safety, well control on January 31, 2011| Leave a Comment »
A little bit of information on the BOP “forensic” testing from the Louisiana Record:
Justice Department attorney Michael Underhill said that a forensic report on the failed blowout preventor (BOP) which led to the Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent Gulf of Mexico oil spill should be finished in March. Underhill spoke at a status conference for the BP multidistrict litigation in Judge Carl Barbier’s chambers at U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Barbier expressed concern over reports that the testing for the BOP and the cement used in drilling the Deepwater Horizon was falling behind. Underhill stated that the testing on the BOP should be done by the first week of March, but that’s “not a promise.” Underhill stated that the BOP investigation has already cost millions of dollars and has involved laser scanning all the equipment removed from the device. He also said that the forensic report on the BOP should be done by the end of March.
New Industry Safety Program: Inside or Outside API?
Posted in accidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety on January 31, 2011| Leave a Comment »
A plan to create a safety organisation for deep-water drilling is being drawn up by leading oil companies and could be launched within weeks, in an attempt to restore public confidence in the industry after last year’s BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
However, a division has emerged over whether the new body should be part of the American Petroleum Institute, the industry group that was strongly criticised by the official National Commission inquiry into the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Stay tuned; this will be interesting.
BOP Frustration on Capitol Hill
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, House Natural Resources Committee, macondo, National Commission, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on January 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »
While thunder-snow created a surreal setting outside, the scene was rather predictable inside as the National Commission co-chairs testified before the House Natural Resource Committee. Members acknowledged the Commission’s service, questioned qualifications, expressed frustration with the “permitorium,” raised concerns about our economic and energy future, and disputed the conclusion that “systemic industry failures” contributed to the disaster. Others suggested that Macondo safety issues had not been resolved, that the risks associated with offshore drilling were not being managed properly, and that everyone else in the world regulates offshore operations more effectively than the US (or at least their disasters have been less recent).
Putting all that aside, I was pleased by the interest of the members in the BOP failure. They seem to share our frustration with the delays in the BOP examination/testing/forensics/autopsy. Perhaps the Committee can determine the status of this very important aspect of the investigation, and provide a summary of what has happened since the stack was recovered and what work remains to be accomplished. That would seem to be a reasonable request.
Dispersants: Good News and Bad
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, dispersants, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill on January 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Good news first:
Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts found circumstantial evidence that the chemicals guided some oil into underwater currents, stopping it from bubbling up to the surface, where it would do more damage, said marine chemist Elizabeth Kujawinski.
Now the bad:
But she added, “the dispersant is sticking around,” which is worrisome. The chemicals didn’t seem to biodegrade the oil and gas as fast as basic chemistry would predict.
See the AP article recommended by BOE oil spill guru Cheryl Anderson.
Smoked Salmon and OCS Facilities
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged accidents, Deepwater Horizon, offshore oil, President Obama, safety, salmon, Senate Energy and Natural Resources, State of the Union on January 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »
From the State of the Union address:
The Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they’re in fresh water, but the Commerce Department handles them when they’re in saltwater. I hear it gets even more complicated once they’re smoked. President Obama
While this comment drew laughs from the audience, the regulation of salmon is rather straightforward compared to the extraordinarily complex regulatory regime for offshore facilities and pipelines. The first and most important recommendation in my testimony before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last May was as follows:
Streamline the OCS regulatory regime to minimize the potential for gaps, overlap, and confusion. Because of the complexity of the OCS regime, regulatory and industry personnel spend too much time resolving and coordinating administrative and procedural matters. This time would be better spent focusing on mission critical safety issues. A single agency should be responsible and accountable for safety and pollution prevention at offshore facilities, and should draw on the expertise of other agencies and organizations as necessary to achieve performance objectives.
If we are to achieve our safety, pollution prevention, efficiency, and energy production objectives, the OCS regulatory regime must be consolidated and simplified.
National Commission Co-Chairs Testimony Today
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on January 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Bob Graham and William Reilly will testify.
Schedule (Eastern Time):
0930 – Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee – live streaming
1400 – House Natural Resources Committee – broadcast live on C-SPAN3
The questioning should be pretty lively, especially at the House hearing.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 