Gulf of Mexico oil spill 2010

[tugboat]

The president of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, MS calls the spill potentially "the worst environmental disaster" in the history of the United States.

If the wellhead is lost, oil could leave the well at a much greater rate, perhaps up to 150,000 barrels -- or more than 6 million gallons per day -- based on government data showing daily production at another deepwater Gulf well.

In scientific circles, an order of magnitude means something is 10 times larger. In this case, an order of magnitude higher would mean the volume of oil coming from the well could be 10 times higher than the 5,000 barrels a day coming out now. That would mean 50,000 barrels a day, or 2.1 million gallons a day.

Kinks in the piping created as the rig sank to the seafloor may be all that is preventing the Deepwater Horizon well from releasing its maximum flow. BP is now drilling a relief well as the ultimate fix. The company said Thursday that process would take up to 3 months.

We are so screwed....

[BolivarSmoker]

It really makes me sick to think about what might happen in the coming days, weeks and months as a result of this spill. My wife and I spend lots of time at the gulf coast (mainly in the Florida panhandle) and the thought of this beautiful place being ruined is horrible. I pray that the leak is stopped and that what oil has been released into the Gulf can be contained before any more serious damage is done. High hopes, I know, but it would be a tragedy to see this beautiful ecosystem forever changed by this event.

[capecc]

Well documented facts: 55,000 barrels of crude oil naturally seep into the ocean every year in the Caspian Sea alone. There are more than 1,200 documented natural oil seeps in the Santa Barbera channel alone.

Imagine how much oil rises from the ocean floor naturally in the worldwide ocean every year. I heard on the radio today that the amount yearly is greater than the sum of every man made oil spill in history. Now obviously a super concentrated spill is disasterous for the marine life in the immediate area of the spill for a time but I still think it's interesting to put it in perspective.

Lesson: What a wonderfully designed planet that can withstand the ebb and flow of disaster and new growth.

[JMacSr]

The smell of oil has reached as far north as New Orleans. I work in a town near the Gulf coast in Louisiana and the current strong winds that we are seeing from the south has carried the strong odor of petroleum. As we sit around wondering what will happen next I can't help but think back to the days prior to Katrina as we were awed by her power and unable to stop her when all we could do is hope for the best because ultimately it is mainly out of our control. what will happen next!! Certainly destruction of an already weakened Eco system. And disaster to the commercial fisherman, shrimpers, and oystermen who are already getting their asses kicked by imported seafood. My greatest fear is that as we approach hurricane season the fine men and women who are doing the recovery are really against the clock a hurricane anywhere in the Gulf could drive the bulk of the spill far inland through the swamps and into communities potentially contaminating the water supplies. Let alone a sizable storm bear down on the coast and bring in this oil with it's storm surge.

[Ken Gargett]

The president of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, MS calls the spill potentially "the worst environmental disaster" in the history of the United States.

If the wellhead is lost, oil could leave the well at a much greater rate, perhaps up to 150,000 barrels -- or more than 6 million gallons per day -- based on government data showing daily production at another deepwater Gulf well.

In scientific circles, an order of magnitude means something is 10 times larger. In this case, an order of magnitude higher would mean the volume of oil coming from the well could be 10 times higher than the 5,000 barrels a day coming out now. That would mean 50,000 barrels a day, or 2.1 million gallons a day.

Kinks in the piping created as the rig sank to the seafloor may be all that is preventing the Deepwater Horizon well from releasing its maximum flow. BP is now drilling a relief well as the ultimate fix. The company said Thursday that process would take up to 3 months.

We are so screwed....

i was incommunicado when this happened. what was the cause? human or weather or?

[Cubanface]

It was an explosion, the cause of the accident remains under investigation. Not too much good news out there is there? Like Tugboat said, they're grossly underestimating the severity of the spill, for it could be the worst oil spill ever.

[Ken Gargett]

It was an explosion, the cause of the accident remains under investigation. Not too much good news out there is there? Like Tugboat said, they're grossly underestimating the severity of the spill, for it could be the worst oil spill ever.

ta for that. i'd heard obama was keen to expand offshore drilling. is that still on the cards given this? just as well we are alive now because in a century, you'd have to think anyone alive will be living in a fetid swamp of pollution and crap.

[mazolaman]

ta for that. i'd heard obama was keen to expand offshore drilling. is that still on the cards given this? just as well we are alive now because in a century, you'd have to think anyone alive will be living in a fetid swamp of pollution and crap.

Dead right,so long as the major human concern is money.....

I've just been reading about this disaster,and thats what it is.

Recently,there has been allot of right leaning opinion on here.

This to me illustrates what is wrong with the right view of economics and government.

The philosophy of our current form of capitalism is to run it cheap as you can,so the shareholders get an ever increasing payback.

Nearly every multinational company has been run this way since at least the 80's.Smash and grab,take what you can before it collapses.

The current economic mess,and ecological disasters like this are the result.

Also,while the hatred for Obama intensifies,it seems to me(admittedly from the outside) that he is doing more in this disaster than the previous president did during Katrina.

[Cubanface]

Obama said throughout the campaign that he is keen to solar, wind, and nuclear energy's. That they would create green jobs all over the country. I don't think he knew the reality of the global economy and how much of it relies on oil. Now, he is keen on offshore drilling. And given that spill, I think they're going to clean up as much of it as they can, or how much they feel like spending to clean it up rather. Or until the story blows over, then it will be business as usual. With all the pollution and crap like you said, I think as long as there is money to be made, at least in America it's only going to get worse.

[samb]

Dont care about the political crap regarding this matter. I just think its utterly terrible to see the ecosystem destroyed with oil.

[cvm4]

It's a terrible situation. But is there any viable alternative that's widely available at an attractive price? I still need gas to get to work.

[cellinisart]

I live in Biloxi (city next door to gulfport) and The oil has now reached our shore. My wife and I with our children went to the beach today and sadly you can now see the oil. This town has a very large shrimp fishing industry (actually I believe we are the the second largest shrimp supplier in the world) and these heavily shrimp laden waters are now soiled. They believe it will kill all the shrimp and it might be 3 years before they are safe to eat again.

It will destroy all of the fisherman in our area who live their lives to shrimp in the gulf right off Biloxi. It will have a profound effect on the cost and availability of shrimp world wide from here on out.

It is the last thing our area needs after katrina destroyed it in 2005 (the city is still rebuilding from that and I also lost my home in that storm) . This is hitting the hearts of our community hard.

I pray that they find a swift fix fast.

[Habanos2000]

I think as long as there is money to be made, at least in America it's only going to get worse.

Disagree. As long as we're oil dependent, it's only going to get worse. There's no interest in continuing activities like oil drilling, transporting, etc unless there's demand.

Am I in favor of abandoning future off shore oil drilling because of this? No. Am I in favor of making the necessary changes to ensure this doesn't happen again? Yes.

[JMacSr]

Dont care about the political crap regarding this matter. I just think its utterly terrible to see the ecosystem destroyed with oil.

amen Sam now is not the time for politics on either side!!

[mazolaman]

Unfortunately, everything we do is political.

I guess I am responding to alot of right leaning stuff that was appearing,as I feel BP and the Swiss drilling company involved have been taking short cuts to maximise profits,which is a common result of the current system.

I am also more concerned with the effects on the people,wildlife and ecosystem than anything else.

[cellinisart]

news and photos

[kafreeman]

Obama said throughout the campaign that he is keen to solar, wind, and nuclear energy's. That they would create green jobs all over the country. I don't think he knew the reality of the global economy and how much of it relies on oil. Now, he is keen on offshore drilling. And given that spill, I think they're going to clean up as much of it as they can, or how much they feel like spending to clean it up rather. Or until the story blows over, then it will be business as usual. With all the pollution and crap like you said, I think as long as there is money to be made, at least in America it's only going to get worse.

The Fed's approved Cape Wind in the Nantucket Sound last week. It will be the first offshore wind farm for the US. I have written a proposal for another alternative energy source at my University. The source is rather unique to the Atlantic Florida Coast. Unfortunately I am going out of state to finish my graduate thesis on a wind related topic.

[MIKA27]

Unfortunately, everything we do is political.

I guess I am responding to alot of right leaning stuff that was appearing,as I feel BP and the Swiss drilling company involved have been taking short cuts to maximise profits,which is a common result of the current system.

I am also more concerned with the effects on the people,wildlife and ecosystem than anything else.

I agree Maz.

Politics is unfortunately unavoidable.

I really feel sick in the gut for what this spill has caused to the ecosystem as well as the many families be it fishermen, small restaurant businesses that depend on feeding tourists and the average family who enjoy the occasional walk on the beach.

I hope this mess is cleaned up sooner than later however, we all know this spill will effect many for years to come.

[Bartolomeo]

1. 11 dead workers is being overlooked

2. Obama stated BP will pay for 100% of the cleanup

3. Its very sad

Bart

[LeafLover]

Dead workers

Dead marine life

Dead ecosystems

THIS SUCKS!!

[tugboat]

FACT SHEET: SUBSEA OIL RECOVERY SYSTEM

The Subsea Oil Recovery System is a large structure that can be placed over the largest leak source in the Transocean Deepwater Horizon Rig. The system is designed to collect hydrocarbons from the well and pump them to a tanker at the surface, where they will be stored and safely shipped ashore. Weather permitting, deployment of the system is planned within the next six to eight days.

How it works

•The system is made up of a 125-ton, 14’ x 24’ x 40’ structure that will be set on top of the largest leak source. This leak is located at the end of the riser, about 600 feet from the wellhead.

•Equipment at the top of the system is connected to a 5,000 foot riser that will convey the hydrocarbons to the surface ship, the Deepwater Enterprise.

•Once in place, oil will flow up into the containment system’s dome to the surface ship.

•Once on the surface ship, the hydrocarbons will be processed and oil will be separated from water and gas. The oil will then be temporarily stored before being offloaded and shipped to a designated oil terminal onshore.

•The Deepwater Enterprise is capable of processing 15,000 barrels of oil per day and storing 139,000 barrels.

•A support barge will also be deployed with a capacity to store 137,000 barrels of oil.

•This system could collect as much as 85% of oil rising from the seafloor.

How it was developed

•This is the first time this system will be used at this water depth.

•To develop the system, BP quickly located existing structures that had previously been used as coffer dams in shallow water recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina.

•After Katrina, these structures were lowered over damaged wellheads to allow divers to repair wellheads.

•BP engineers have worked closely with the firm Wild Well Controls, Inc. to convert these structures for use in deep waters.

What’s next

•This system is being fabricated in Louisiana and will be transported to the Deepwater Enterprise.

•Once on site, the system will be lowered to the seabed.

•ROVs will monitor the installation and will complete connections to the riser (tubing).

•Because of the weight of the structure and the muddy conditions at the sea bottom, “mud flaps” have been added to the sides of the structure. These flaps enable the structure to settle into the sea bottom and complete the enclosure.

Illustrations follow.

...My gut feeling says this is not going to work. I hope I'm wrong but your talking a mile under the surface. Any engineers out there have an opinion, I'd like to hear it.