Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Case Study
Abstract
The Deepwater Horizon Rig explosion that occurred on 20th April, 2010 resulted in approximately 4.9 million barrels of oil been released into the Gulf of Mexico for months and will go down in history as the biggest and most catastrophic oil spill to ever to occur. This research discusses the underlying issues that caused the explosion. The effect on the stakeholders, BP’s response to the crisis and the different approaches they could have taken before and after the accident.
Introduction
The tragic events that occurred on the 20th of April, 2010, the explosion onboard The Deepwater Horizon oil rig left 11 dead and many injured. Resulting in 4.9 million barrels of oil been released into the Gulf of Mexico. The disaster caused economic and environmental damages to coastlines, and was documented as one of the biggest and
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BP accepted it responsibility for the disaster but also blames two of its contractors.
On 20th April, 2010 as the team onboard Deepwater Horizon was preparing to temporarily leave the well it had drilled some 70 kilometers from the US coast.
The day prior to the disaster, as standard procedure to prevent oil leaking out cement was pumped to the bottom of the borehole. The teams were conducting checks on the day of the disaster to find out if the well had been properly sealed.
Eight Safety System Failures
Dodgy cement
According to BP the cement formulation appeared not to have been up to standards therefore it did not create a seal at the bottom of the borehole, causing a leak allowing oil and gas to leak into the pipe leading to the surface.
Valve
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