Summit Entertainment, Participant Media and Imagenation Abu Dhabi, have announced that they’ve acquired the film rights to a 2010 New York Times article on the BP oil spill.Forbes
This is the excellent New York Times piece referenced in the quote.
Posts Tagged ‘safety’
Deepwater Horizon – The Movie?
Posted in accidents, Uncategorized, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on March 17, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Good Opinion Piece by Loren Steffy (Houston Chronicle)
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, oil spill, safety, well control on March 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Jason Anderson, Dale Burkeen, Donald Clark, Stephen Curtis, Gordon Jones, Roy Wyatt Kemp, Karl Kleppinger, Blair Manuel, Dewey Revette, Shane Roshto and Adam Weise.
They are the 11 workers who died when the Deepwater Horizon burned and sank in the Gulf of Mexico last year.
Their names need to be stated, to be remembered, because they were clearly forgotten as the industry gathered for the CERAWeek conference in Houston this week. Houston Chronicle
Comment: The sad truth is that the Macondo tragedy would have received very little attention if the fatalities were not followed by a major oil spill. There would have been no moratorium, no National Commission, no Chemical Safety Board review, and no Justice Department investigation. The last major multi-fatality accident in the Gulf, the South Pass 60 B fire that killed seven workers in 1989, received almost no national attention. A minor spill offshore California receives more coverage than a multi-fatality event in the Gulf.
When every casualty, every gas release, every well control incident, and every structural failure is fully and publicly reviewed, we will be well on our way toward preventing not only injuries and fatalities, but also spills and environmental damage.
Interesting Platts Update on DWH BOP Testing
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, BOP, chemical safety board, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, safety, well control on March 3, 2011| 2 Comments »
From Platts Oilgram News article by Gary Gentile:
The team examining the BOP in Louisiana conducted tests in January and February of this year that showed that with the proper amount of hydraulic fluid pressure, the rams on the BOP would close, according to Dan Tillema, an investigator with the US Chemical Safety Board.
Portions of drill pipe were found in the BOP and the pipe was cut, Tillema said—a sign that the rams did close at some point during the incident.
But Tillema cautions against making any assumptions based on the test results sofar. Some reports have suggested that rubber gaskets around the rams were worn awayby the massive flow of oil and gas gushing from the Macondo well, overcoming the BOP’s capacity. That is just one of several possibilities, Tillema said. “We haven’t made any conclusions yet,” he said.
Lifting Accident at Gulfaks A
Posted in accidents, Norway, tagged Gullfaks, lifting, Norway, safety, safety culture on March 2, 2011| 1 Comment »
The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) has initiated an investigation following an incident in connection with a lifting operation on the Gullfaks A facility on 28 February 2011.
Comment: PSA is applauded for their transparency in reporting accidents. When every regulator, operator, and contractor routinely posts accident information on their home page, we will have made a major step forward in collectively improving the safety culture and preventing future incidents.
New House OCS Drilling Legislation
Posted in drilling, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, tagged Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, House of Representatives, macondo, safety, Tim Murphy on March 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Rep. Tim Murphy’s (R-Pa.) bill states that companies with drilling permits approved before early May 2010 can proceed with exploration or production “without further review” by the Interior Department, and “without further review or delay” under various environmental laws. The Hill.com
GAO Report on Government Waste
Posted in Regulation, tagged GAO, government waste, Regulation, safety on March 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »
GAO’s report entitled “Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue” has just been released. The report identifies $billions in potential savings that could be realized by reducing program duplication.
Comments:
- Not only could taxpayer dollars be saved by reducing overlap and duplication, but greater efficiencies and safety benefits would be achieved. As BOE has frequently noted, a single agency should be responsible and accountable for safety and pollution prevention at offshore facilities. For regulators, “overlap means underlap.” Important issues are sure to be overlooked, misunderstood, or confused. Jurisdictional redundancy inevitably results in unnecessary complexity, and regulatory and industry personnel are required to spend too much time resolving and coordinating administrative and procedural matters. This time would be better spent focusing on mission critical safety issues.
- Much of the duplication among agencies is the result of the overlapping responsibilities of congressional committees, complex and poorly crafted legislation, and insufficient emphasis on function-based management.
- Program savings achieved by one government unit are immediately absorbed by another, discouraging cost-effective management practices. Senior and mid-level Federal managers should be able to transfer savings directly to a debt reduction fund that cannot be used for any other purpose. Federal managers should receive positive recognition for savings and efficiency, not criticism or immediate budget reductions.
BOP Hearings in Early April?
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control on February 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »
These hearings should be interesting:
The JIT expects to hold another set of public hearings the week of April 4 to focus specifically on the BOP and findings from the forensic examination. BOEMRE and the USCG expect to issue a joint release regarding the investigation by mid-April.
Houston Chronicle on BOP Failure
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, BOEMRE, BOP, Coast Guard, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, safety, well control on February 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Giant metal shears successfully sliced and closed pipe full of runaway crude in the early moments of last April’s Deepwater Horizon disaster, but the oil blasted through rubber gaskets around the blades and unleashed the nation’s largest spill, according to sources familiar with an ongoing investigation. Houston Chronicle
That would be consistent with the video evidence recorded on the Q4000, but we still need a lot more information about the timing of the shear ram closure, the position of the ram and drill pipe before and after shearing, maintenance, and other important BOP issues.
Kudos to the Chronicle for their ongoing coverage of Macondo issues.
Steven Chu – not your typical Cabinet Secretary
Posted in accidents, drilling, Offshore Energy - General, well control incidents, tagged DOE, drilling, macondo, safety, Secretary Chu, Ultra-Deepwater, well control on February 24, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Few Cabinet Secretaries are scientists or engineers, and none has been a Nobel Prize winner. We expect Secretary Chu to be different and yesterday’s meeting with DOE’s Ultra-Deepwater Advisory Committee was not your typical Washington “hit and run” performance. Rather than making a quick speech and running along to his next appointment, Secretary Chu engaged in technical dialogue with our committee for a full hour, offering insights and responding to questions. Among the topics discussed were BOP instrumentation and monitoring, well integrity, ROV/AUV issues, and Macondo findings.
Kudos to Secretary Chu for his commitment to offshore safety.
Gary Gentile published this report on the meeting in Platts Oilgram News. (click on the story to enlarge)
Transocean Report
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, transocean, well control on February 24, 2011| Leave a Comment »
“Our internal investigation into the events of that tragedy is nearing completion,” Newman told investors during a conference call to discuss Transocean’s fourth-quarter earnings. “In light of continuing delays and obtaining information on the third-party testing of the Horizon’s (blowout preventer), we expect to release findings in the next month or two.” Fox Business
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 
