BRITISH PETROLEUM OIL SPILL

British Petroleum Oil Spill

Executive Summary

Owned by British Petroleum (BP) oil platform in Deepwater Horizon sank after a major fire in the Gulf of Mexico. According to satellite data, a consequence of the accident was daily getting into the bay for more than 25 thousand barrels of oil and an appearance on the surface of a huge oil slick. The situation is complicated by the fact that oil on the platform was extracted from a depth of half a kilometre. According to experts, oil spill will affect about 20 protected natural areas. The scale of the accident is the fact that this oil spill is already assigned to the category of the largest disaster in U.S. history.

In the struggle with the consequences of the accident involved about 5 thousand people and nearly 200 ships. However, since there are no well-established and effective methods to deal with such accidents, there is no answer to the main question: "How fast can plug the oil flowing and to eliminate its consequences?"

To curb the flow of oil and pumping it to the surface of the damaged well try to cover the dome, after the first unsuccessful attempt at the bottom of the Gulf launched the second dome. There is another, more promising, but more time-consuming option the slant hole drilling, which intersects with the damaged and sends oil in a new direction.

Introduction

On April 20, 2010 the rig Deepwater Horizon, concession to British Petroleum (BP) exploded and the impact on the Gulf of Mexico was catastrophic. The mouth of the well drilling to 1,525 meters deep, collapsed and underwater robots operated by remote control when they failed to close the emergency valves to stop the oil leak (Fuyong 2010, pp. 1-3).

According to the British newspaper in 2009 as part of the exploration plan and environmental impact analysis, BP said it was unlikely or virtually impossible, the occurrence of an accident of such magnitude that leads to a giant oil slick and causing serious damage to the beaches, fish and mammals. 

The platform "Deepwater Horizon" is the one that exploded, killing 11 workers missing, among other serious consequences. British Petroleum (BP), is the largest extractor of oil in the Gulf of Mexico and immediately placed teams qualified for the containment and crude oil gathering, as well as ships float lines (White 2010, pp. 14-15).

However, despite the action plans put in place, the economic, social and environmental exceeded the capabilities of the company. This oil spill is a real ecological disaster and a major threat to the environment and the rights of people living in the area.

Analysis

Presenting the exact figures of losses caused by the oil spill is now impossible, since the consequences of the accident have not been eliminated. However, some experts believe that the potential damage could reach $ 20 billion.

Today to address the leakage of oil company BP daily spends $ 6 million. As stated by BP CEO Tony Hayward, the complete conservation of the well will require up to three months and about $ 100 ...