What a cluster and right during the vulnerable breeding season. Mother Nature is not cooperating on the weather, either. The gulf coast can't catch a break.

Biggest question I have is, why didn't the blowout preventer stop the flow of oil instead of allowing it to free flow into the ocean? Surely there is an alternative available if the rig is lost to a storm or catastrophe like this one.

drill baby drill

Horrible situation but this is one of the risks with off shore drilling. The biggest issue out of this is why, like Wambo stated, did the equipment meant to prevent this stuff fail? Hopefully this thing can get capped soon and the rescue operation can get into full swing to help the environment recovery.

Eco-terrorism if you ask me.

Eco-terrorism if you ask me.

You know, I know these things happen but it crossed my mind, too. I guess it is just the world we live in that such things would be considered a remote possibility. I even wondered if someone opposed to President Obama's decision to allow offshore drilling could have prompted someone to do this (perhaps not realizing it would get out of hand). I know, I know, crazy talk. It was just an idle thought. Anyway you look at it, it is really, really bad.

Eco-terrorism if you ask me.

We better all start riding bicycles and sipping latte's out of corn based cups and not use another drop of oil.

We better all start riding bicycles and sipping latte's out of corn based cups and not use another drop of oil.

What??

Apparently, things aren't going well on the attempted cleanup.

Weather and the currents are causing the oil to get past the barriers they erected. It seems to me I've seen in recent years about specific detergents and even some kind of a bacterial compound that can actually "eat" the oil? I wonder why those clean-up methods are not being used. I can't recall exactly what this substance was, and I haven't done recent research into it, but I just remember something to this extent.

Just tragic.

Weather and the currents are causing the oil to get past the barriers they erected. It seems to me I've seen in recent years about specific detergents and even some kind of a bacterial compound that can actually "eat" the oil? I wonder why those clean-up methods are not being used. I can't recall exactly what this substance was, and I haven't done recent research into it, but I just remember something to this extent.

Just tragic.

Tragic, indeed. I heard an article on TV about the bacteria and it can be used in some instances but not in others, depending on where it is. But I don't know the details.

Tragic, indeed. I heard an article on TV about the bacteria and it can be used in some instances but not in others, depending on where it is. But I don't know the details.

If I remember it is some type of enzyme biological but for the life of me cannot remember the name.

Biggest question I have is, why didn't the blowout preventer stop the flow of oil instead of allowing it to free flow into the ocean? Surely there is an alternative available if the rig is lost to a storm or catastrophe like this one.

maybe bought, transported and installed based on lowest bid contract offers?

Just a guess

maybe bought, transported and installed based on lowest bid contract offers?

Just a guess

Probably a very good point. Of course you just described the same process NASA used to put men on the moon, I think.

We better all start riding bicycles and sipping latte's out of corn based cups and not use another drop of oil.

Yes. And some people could use the exercise.

But this oil spill is horrifyingly bad. Worse then the Exxon Valdez.

We better all start riding bicycles and sipping latte's out of corn based cups and not use another drop of oil.

But I think most out of fit people respond to their struggle to get into their clothes is to go spend money on a new wardrobe, rather than buy a bicycle or exercise program.

I work for an Oil & Gas services company here in OKC. Our corporate HQ is in Houston, and we've got offices/warehouses on the Louisiana Gulf Coast that we service off shore rigs from. We felt very fortunate that this was not a well that our company was servicing. There have been many emails circulating that gives us a more detailed look at the Horizon. I won't paste the entire thing here (it's huge!) but I'll paste some of the more interesting parts. If any of you would like to read the email in its entirety (it's a .pdf with before/after pics) just send me a message with your email address and I'll forward it on.



The rig belongs to Transocean, the world’s biggest offshore drilling contractor. The rig was originally contracted through the year 2013 to
BP and was working on BP’s Macondo exploration well when the fire broke out. The rig costs about $500,000 per day to contract. The full drilling spread, with helicopters and support vessels and other services, will cost closer to $1,000,000 per day to operate in the course of drilling for oil and gas. The rig cost about $350,000,000 to build in 2001 and would cost at least double that to replace today.

The rig represents the cutting edge of drilling technology. It is a floating rig, capable of working in up to 10,000 ft water depth. The rig is not moored; It does not use anchors because it would be too costly and too heavy to suspend this mooring load from the floating structure. Rather, a triply-redundant computer system uses satellite positioning to control powerful thrusters that keep the rig on station within a few feet of its intended location, at all times. This is called Dynamic Positioning.

It is thought that somehow formation fluids – oil /gas – got into the wellbore and were undetected until it was too late to take action. With a floating drilling rig setup, because it moves with the waves, currents, and winds, all of the main pressure control equipment sits on the seabed – the uppermost unmoving point in the well. This pressure control equipment – the Blowout Preventers, or ‘BOP’s” as they’re called, are controlled with redundant systems from the rig. In the event of a serious emergency, there are multiple Panic Buttons to hit, and even fail-safe Deadman systems that should be automatically engaged when something of this proportion breaks out. None of them were aparently activated, suggesting that the blowout was especially swift to escalate at the surface. The flames were visible up to about 35 miles away. Not the glow – the flames. They were 200 – 300 ft high.

I read the other day, I think it was a headline title, that they were going to also attempt the clean up on a "micro" level. I think this is what people was talking about on here. I didn't read the story, but I am sure they are doing something like that.

And the huge box didn't work because of methane clathrates. As disastrous as it is, the chemistry and engineering problems faced here are fascinating.

There are thousands of rigs offshore in the gulf, for the most part the service and environmental records of them have been stellar when compared to the on shore rigs and other industries. It looks like they ran across a methane bubble that was stronger than all of the blowout prevention measures which had worked many, many times before.

Hopefully they can get this thing plugged soon.

Originally Posted by kevinpate View Post
maybe bought, transported and installed based on lowest bid contract offers?

Just a guess

Probably a very good point. Of course you just described the same process NASA used to put men on the moon, I think.


Actually, that is the same process used in 99.9% of all businesses.

Russians say we should nuke it. The mind boggles.

Nuke that slick - Julia Ioffe - The Moscow Diaries - True/Slant (http://trueslant.com/juliaioffe/2010/05/04/nuke-that-slick/)

Colbert pretty much sums it up............ "No one knows what the f--k they're doing."

Colbert On Oil Containment: "No One Knows What The F--k They're Doing" (VIDEO) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/11/colbert-on-oil-containmen_n_571499.html)

And the huge box didn't work because of methane clathrates. As disastrous as it is, the chemistry and engineering problems faced here are fascinating.

Well there's an upside. Maybe the public will finally get exposed to methane clathrates and realize how big of a problem they could become. :)

Geez, this is becoming one of the biggest jokes of all time. If it wasn't so sad of a situation that is. What a **&^^%&*** cluster )(*&(*^*&^%^. No one knows what the *&^* they are doing!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, had to rant.

Geez, this is becoming one of the biggest jokes of all time. If it wasn't so sad of a situation that is. What a **&^^%&*** cluster )(*&(*^*&^%^. No one knows what the *&^* they are doing!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, had to rant.

Don't apologize. It is a cluster and enough to make anyone want to yank out their hair. What a horrible situation.

I work offshore in the gulf. And I also work out of the very facility that BP dispatches their offshore service vessels. This morning I witnessed massive amounts of the very oil they drilled, drifting past that very facility! This is in Port Fourchon. No clean-up efforts underway here. No skimmer boats. No enforcement. Nothing! Some booms on the the beach front. But nothing inside or to the west of the inlet. Also saw an armada of shrimp boats headed west - undoubtedly to save their season and business.

I work offshore in the gulf. And I also work out of the very facility that BP dispatches their offshore service vessels. This morning I witnessed massive amounts of the very oil they drilled, drifting past that very facility! This is in Port Fourchon. No clean-up efforts underway here. No skimmer boats. No enforcement. Nothing! Some booms on the the beach front. But nothing inside or to the west of the inlet. Also saw an armada of shrimp boats headed west - undoubtedly to save their season and business.

Jeeze. Those poor fishermen... That is straight south of New Orleans, right?

And Downtowner, you be careful out there.

I just heard that something BP is putting on the oil to clean it up is toxic and banned in Europe (or maybe the UK). According to the news story, the White House just put a stop to their using it but fishermen are complaining of being sick and it is allegedly killing animals and plants.

So couldn't they have googled this before now? Seems like if it is a material that is so toxic it is banned across the pond someone might have thought it was a good idea to not use it - or at least be aware that it was being used.

BP. Formerly, British Petroleum. Then the ad campaign was Beyond Petroleum. now: Beyond Pathetic.