Human Errors: The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Officials from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Minerals Management Service raised questions about the events leading up to the rig explosion, the likely causes of the explosion, and the failed blowout preventer, at a hearing on Wednesday. The answers to those questions told a dark story.

 

(Above is recently released video of the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.  Watch as the light rush of liquid turns depressingly dark)

Multiple factors possibly caused the Deepwater Horizon explosion and ensuing oil spill, including a faulty cement casing around the well pipe, a dead battery meant to activate the blowout preventer, and a hydraulic fitting that was loose to begin with.

The last government official to actually check the rig before the explosion said he does not conduct any standard tests that could show why the safety systems did not function properly, leaving the panel rather stunned.

Blame is still being deflected from one company to another, but Halliburton received a significant amount of attention on Wednesday. Not only did a BP representative point out that Halliburton was in charge of the cement casing added less than a day before the explosion, but a co-chairman of the MMS said it was possible that the casing did not close the well off from expanding gas that may have caused it. Pieces of the cement that landed on nearby ships are being collected and analyzed for further information.

Frank Patton, the New Orleans District Drilling Engineer for the MMS, also felt the heat of the spotlight. When questioned about required tests of blowout preventers, he claimed to be unaware of them. The panel said drillers must show proof that the blowout preventer power is high enough to cut off the flow of material, but Patton never once asked for proof in over 100 applications. Patton was also unaware of a conclusive study conducted in 2004 proving blowout preventers were unreliable.

Reports from crewmembers on a nearby cargo ship recollect a material known as drilling mud blasting into the air, falling like black rain, from the Deepwater Horizon. The captain of the oilrig, once on board the nearby cargo ship, said his crew pushed a button to cut off the flow of oil 5,000 feet below, but did not know if it activated or not. Moments later, the explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon and fire engulfed the oilrig.

David Hammer of The Times-Picayune described the main cause of the explosion:

“But in the end, the panel’s co-chairman, Coast Guard Capt. Hung Nguyen, and MMS official Jason Mathews made it clear that the blowout preventer and the cement seal were secondary means of protection, and that the primary defense against a blowout was the drilling mud that was removed shortly before a blast of natural gas and slushy methane hydrates blew out of the well and ignited on the Deepwater Horizon’s deck April 20.

“The Times-Picayune has reported that eyewitnesses with knowledge of the drill floor operations said that as the rig’s crew prepared to finish exploratory drilling, officials decided to displace the protective column of heavy mud with light seawater earlier than necessary and before a key plug was placed in the well bore.”  READ MORE

Another unsettling discovery exposed the U.S. Coast Guard’s inability to fight major fires like the one on the Deepwater Horizon. Not only did it take too long for ships to respond, but the ones that did were not equipped to fight a fire of that magnitude.

Human Error – Not Inherent

The revelations of Wednesday’s hearing depict a disaster caused by multiple human errors. These errors are a direct result of the lackadaisical approach to safety and regulation taken by the oil industry and the U.S. Government regarding oil drilling.

We hear that nobody is perfect, but professionals in charge of the safety regulation of a major oilrig should be close. With a major lack of government involvement and a conflict of interest within the agency designed to oversee the industry, it is almost no surprise that a major disaster has occurred.

A whistleblower who spoke to the Huffington Post admitted that BP was aware of falsified blowout preventer tests in Alaska for years, but did nothing to change it. Now, BP is paying about $10 million every day to clean up the mess caused by that lack of moral obligation.

(The following is an extended, underwater look at the oil spilling into the Gulf. I am not one to look too far into these types of things, but for the sake of human curiosity, I have to point out the surreal, chillingly-creepy face that floats by in this video.)

The Real Debate

Oil gushing into and filling the Gulf of Mexico currently dominates most environmental debate at the moment, but seedlings are being planted. Comments regarding President Obama’s push to expand U.S. offshore drilling, once the initial shock and toll estimates set in, will grow into massive debates.

Many groups, including Oceana (which was linked-to in yesterday’s post), are pushing to stop offshore drilling completely. It’s an ideal solution, but not a practical one. There are definitely inherent dangers in offshore drilling, but they are not the cause of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, nor are they a reasonable cause to curb efforts toward U.S. energy independence.

Dilly-dally inspections by the Minerals Management Service, falsified and failed blowout preventer tests by BP, and a rush to finish the job by Halliburton seem primarily to blame for the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

If certain measures that are currently set in place to regulate the oil industry were being followed, this disaster would be less disastrous. If all oil industry regulations were taken more seriously by both the U.S. Government and the industry itself, this disaster probably would have been prevented.

According to Oceana.org, almost 5.5 million gallons of oil have been spilled so far.