Deep oil dilemma [explosion and sinking of Deepwater Horizon

Abstract

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has seen BP come under intense scrutiny and unprecedented pressure to assume responsibility for limiting the environmental effects.The investigation should focus on the original incident, but also the failure of the blowout preventor (BOP) as well as the inability of the industry to intervene at the subsea environment at 5,000ft. It must be remembered that the oil and gas industry has been exploring in deep waters for over 20 years and this is the first time that it has suffered an incident of this nature. Drill ship Deepwater Horizon had operated in 10,000ft of water and drilled to a depth of 35000ft. All the operations to plug the leaking well in the subsea environment and contain the oil slick at sea and on the American coastline are managed from the control centre in Mobile, Alabama. Both BP and the oil industry at large will be anxiously waiting for the fall-out, but whatever the findings the future shape of deepwater drilling will never be the same.