Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill


Abstract
In this paper will discuss about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This oil spill has been the greatest oil spill of all time. This disaster caused a great economic impact, but worse, a significant environmental impact.

Introduction

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico 41 miles southeast of theLouisiana coast.  The explosion killed 11 people, and released a torrent of oil and gas into the Gulf that spewed unrelentingly for almost three months, until the well was successfully capped in a coordinated effort on July 15, 2010.By the time the well was capped, it is estimated that the Deepwater Horizon had released more than 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf, resulting in significantimpacts on the Gulf’s communities, ecosystem, and economic activity.  It is one of the worst man made environmental disasters in American history.

The Oil Spill

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also known as the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill or the BP Oil Spill, is the largest marine oil spill in history, and was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil platform about 50 milessoutheast of the Mississippi River delta on April 20, 2010 (28.74°N, 88.39°W). Most of the 126 workers on the platform were safely evacuated, and a search and rescue operation began for 11 missing workers. The Deepwater Horizon sank in about 5,000 feet (1,500 m) of water on April 22, 2010. On April 23 the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search for missing workers who are all presumed dead. After aseries of failed efforts to plug the leak, BP said on July 15 that it had capped the well, stopping the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for the first time in 86 days. The spill caused the closure of 88,522 square miles of federal waters to fishing, and affected hundreds of miles of shoreline, bayous, and bays. While the full long term effects of the spill will take time to determine, thenegative environmental, economic, and social impact on the Gulf’s habitats and communities may persist for years.  

Deepwater Horizon was an ultra deepwater, dynamically positioned, column-stabilized, semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit.  The rig was 396 feet (121 m) long and 256 feet (78 m) wide and could operate in waters up to 8,000 feet (2,400 m) deep, to a maximum drill depth of30,000 feet (9,100 m). Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea and completed in 2001, the rig was owned by Transocean Ltd. and leased to BP until September 2013.  At the time of the explosion, the rig was on BP's Mississippi Canyon Block 252, referred to as the Macondo Prospect, in the United States sector of the Gulf of Mexico, about 41 miles (66 km) off the Louisiana coast.  The rigcommenced drilling in February 2010 at a water depth of approximately 5,000 feet (1,500 m).  The well was planned to be drilled to 18,000 feet (5,500 m), and was to be plugged and abandoned for subsequent completion as a subsea producer.
The fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon reportedly started at 9:45 p.m. Survivors described the incident as a sudden explosion that gave them less than fiveminutes to escape as the alarm went off. Video of the fire shows billowing flames, taller than a multistory building.  After burning for more than a day, Deepwater Horizon sank on April 22, 2010. The precise cause of the explosion and fire that led to the oil spill is under investigation.  The current hypothesis about the chain of events is as follows. Transocean, representatives said workers had beenperforming their standard routines with no indication of any problems just prior to the explosion. At the time of the explosion the rig was drilling but was not in production. Production casing was being run and cemented at the time of the accident. Once the cementing was complete, it was due to be tested for integrity and a cement plug set to temporarily abandon the well for later completion as...