Derrick Offshore Blog

A satellite image showing the oil spil (dark swirls right of centre) Photo: AFP/GETTY IMAGES. Source: www.Telegraph.co.uk

According to a report from the US Coast Guard an operation to set fire to parts of the 600 square mile sheen of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico after last week’s explosion on the Deepwater Horizon semi-submersible drilling rig commenced yesterday. The controlled burn is part of efforts to minimise the environmental impact of the oil spill.

Underwater ROVs have so far failed to shut off the flow of oil from the well and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) now estimate that 5,000 barrels a day of oil are spilling into the Gulf of Mexico – five times greater than the previous estimate of 1,000 barrels a day; claims which Doug Suttle, chief operating officer for BP disputes. Bloomberg also reported this week that the blowout preventers for the Deepwater Horizon were provided by Cameron International, the second-largest US maker of oilfield equipment. However, the cause of the blast has yet to be confirmed.

Sources report that sixteen skimming boats, four storage barges, one drilling rig, one drillship and eleven offshore support vessels are on site assisting with operations.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the 11 crew members still missing after an explosion on the offshore oil rig, Deepwater Horizon, in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday.

Despite efforts to bring it under control the rig collapsed and sank yesterday after being engulfed by a fire that had blazed for more than 36 hours.

The blast occurred on Tuesday at around 22:00 hours on Transocean’s Deepwater Horizon semi-submersible drilling rig. Although the majority of the 126 workers on board escaped unharmed 17 were injured and fears are now growing for the safety of the 11 workers still missing.

At the time of the incident the Deepwater Horizon was drilling for BP on part of the Mississippi Canyon Block 252 known as the Macondo prospect, in 1,500m (5,000ft) of water. Last night a team of engineers, using an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV), were struggling to cut off the uncontrolled flow of oil which is being fed by an estimated 13,000 gallons of oil and gas pumping every hour from a pipe running up from the oil reservoir more than 2 miles (3km) beneath the seabed.

BP and US officials are now tackling what could be a major pollution incident using booms and dispersant chemicals.