Gulf of Mexico oil leak

[Walsingham]

What about deliberately 'sinking' a small bulk carrier, and positioning it over the busted wellhead. Oil goes in, and fills the tanks, displacing existing water. Once it gets full the bulk carrier is hoisted back up. Or something like that, anyway.

 

Krez, I don't think it's daft to assume that a system which is vastly expensive, critical to operations, and for which the operators are criminally liable, is going to be run to the highest standards. We're not talking about a greyhound bus. I never said an invetsigation shouldn't be held, just that painting BP as reckless cowboys is a strange assumption.

 

EDIT:

 

A better idea, of course, would be to leave the hull as collection point in place, and pump the oil up. Which is what BP now intend to do!

Edited May 5, 2010 by Walsingham

[Gfted1]

Making a bit of progress:

 

BP Says One Oil Leak of Three Is Shut Off

 

By SAM DOLNICK and LIZ ROBBINS

Published: May 5, 2010

 

BATON ROUGE, La.

[Walsingham]

Looks like I may owe you an apology, Krez.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbys...ety-record.html

 

It seems that Transocean have been previously discplined on their safety record. Perhaps this will be another nail in the long overdue coffin for ****ing subcontracting key business operations.

[lord of flies]

"a discussion of response to an oil spill resulting from the activities proposed in this plan is not required for this Exploration Plan."

- BP's Initial Exploration Plan for Mississippi Canyon Block 252 (where the accident took place), filed in February 2009.

[Humodour]

It looks like it has been plugged.

[Moose]

Read on the BBC website they use a plugging agent consisting of used tyres, rope and... golf balls.

[Wrath of Dagon]

No, I think that was an alternate plan, but they actually did it by pumping drilling mud through the blowout preventer.

[Humodour]

Mud and cement. Or cement-like mud.

[~Di]

Do you have a link to the BBC site that claims the well has been plugged? Because no American media has made such a claim, and it would really be breaking news bigtime if it had indeed happened.

[Humodour]

Do you have a link to the BBC site that claims the well has been plugged? Because no American media has made such a claim, and it would really be breaking news bigtime if it had indeed happened.

 

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=oil%20le...l=en&tab=wn

[~Di]

Do you have a link to the BBC site that claims the well has been plugged? Because no American media has made such a claim, and it would really be breaking news bigtime if it had indeed happened.

 

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=oil%20le...l=en&tab=wn

 

Oh, come on, I'm not going to search everything on the google page. Just glancing at them reveals that not one of those sources claims that the leak is actually plugged. The fact is that the leak is not yet plugged. The effort was actually shut down for 16 hours today due to some kind of technical problems.

[Humodour]

Do you have a link to the BBC site that claims the well has been plugged? Because no American media has made such a claim, and it would really be breaking news bigtime if it had indeed happened.

 

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=oil%20le...l=en&tab=wn

 

Oh, come on, I'm not going to search everything on the google page. Just glancing at them reveals that not one of those sources claims that the leak is actually plugged. The fact is that the leak is not yet plugged. The effort was actually shut down for 16 hours today due to some kind of technical problems.

 

If you'd bothered to read, oh I dunno, the first few links you'd know immediately what the situation is.

 

[~Di]

Do you have a link to the BBC site that claims the well has been plugged? Because no American media has made such a claim, and it would really be breaking news bigtime if it had indeed happened.

 

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=oil%20le...l=en&tab=wn

 

Oh, come on, I'm not going to search everything on the google page. Just glancing at them reveals that not one of those sources claims that the leak is actually plugged. The fact is that the leak is not yet plugged. The effort was actually shut down for 16 hours today due to some kind of technical problems.

 

If you'd bothered to read, oh I dunno, the first few links you'd know immediately what the situation is.

 

 

I do know what the situation is. They are still trying to plug the leak, but it will be a couple of days before they know if it works or not. Nothing on your google page says anything different from what I saw. If I missed something, do give me a link to it specifically, along with the verbage you think supports your claim.

[Wrath of Dagon]

Mud and cement. Or cement-like mud.

No, the mud is not cement-like. If the mud succeeds in bringing the pressure to 0, they can then install a cement cap. Di is right, although it looks good so far, they won't know for sure for a while yet.

[Humodour]

Do you have a link to the BBC site that claims the well has been plugged? Because no American media has made such a claim, and it would really be breaking news bigtime if it had indeed happened.

 

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=oil%20le...l=en&tab=wn

 

Oh, come on, I'm not going to search everything on the google page. Just glancing at them reveals that not one of those sources claims that the leak is actually plugged. The fact is that the leak is not yet plugged. The effort was actually shut down for 16 hours today due to some kind of technical problems.

 

If you'd bothered to read, oh I dunno, the first few links you'd know immediately what the situation is.

 

 

I do know what the situation is. They are still trying to plug the leak, but it will be a couple of days before they know if it works or not. Nothing on your google page says anything different from what I saw. If I missed something, do give me a link to it specifically, along with the verbage you think supports your claim.

 

What exactly is my claim according to you? You were in a state of uncertainty about the current status of the leak. I directed you to the most comprehensive index of updates on the matter since you sounded curious. I don't see any need for you to argue.

[~Di]

Do you have a link to the BBC site that claims the well has been plugged? Because no American media has made such a claim, and it would really be breaking news bigtime if it had indeed happened.

 

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=oil%20le...l=en&tab=wn

 

Oh, come on, I'm not going to search everything on the google page. Just glancing at them reveals that not one of those sources claims that the leak is actually plugged. The fact is that the leak is not yet plugged. The effort was actually shut down for 16 hours today due to some kind of technical problems.

 

If you'd bothered to read, oh I dunno, the first few links you'd know immediately what the situation is.

 

 

I do know what the situation is. They are still trying to plug the leak, but it will be a couple of days before they know if it works or not. Nothing on your google page says anything different from what I saw. If I missed something, do give me a link to it specifically, along with the verbage you think supports your claim.

 

What exactly is my claim according to you?

 

Your claim:

It looks like it has been plugged.

 

 

You were in a state of uncertainty about the current status of the leak. I directed you to the most comprehensive index of updates on the matter since you sounded curious. I don't see any need for you to argue.

 

I was not in a state of uncertainty. I said the leak has not been plugged. And it hasn't.

[Gromnir]

we would be more than a little disappointed in the bbc if the had reported that the main leak had been "plugged."

 

given the scope o' the potential disaster, am actual a bit surprised that the U.S. government has been willing to let bp handle the leak-killing and cleanup operations. is doubtful that the federal govt. has better resources for cleaning up such messes than does bp, but typically it only takes a few phone calls to figure out who IS the best. am not certain why bp is still bumbling their way through this mess, particularly as their primary duty is to their stockholders. is not difficult to see potential for a conflict o' interest between doing what is right, and doing what is right for bp stockholders.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Tigranes]

At this point, what conflict of interest could there be? Why wouldn't BP be interested in plugging this asap? Just curious.

[Gromnir]

At this point, what conflict of interest could there be? Why wouldn't BP be interested in plugging this asap? Just curious.

 

you're serious? really? how often does corporations drag their feet when it comes to fixing problems they created? auto makers discover a defect in a car and don't fix 'cause it is cheaper to pay injury/death benefits than it is to fix the car. "you can't put a value on a human life." sure you can. companies do it all the time. it looks like bp rushed their gulf platform construction and they didn't have adequate measures for fixing potential problems... but do you really think they didn't anticipate a disaster and affix a dollar amount to a worst case scenario? *chuckle* tobacco, asbestos, petrochemical, etc... name all the industries that has been accused o' reacting slowly (or not at all) to environmental or human disasters. btw, folks is still fighting with exxon over valdez. it is very possible that the most cost-efficient response for bp is to do as little as possible... look good for the cameras while this is a public disaster, and then find ways to mitigate and avoid eventual fines two or three years from now when only the locals care/remember.

 

your naivety is... quaint.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Gorgon]

Well BP are already liable, every day this continues is money down the drain.

[Gorth]

I would be surprised if they didn't try to pass on some of that liability to the company that built the "Safety Valve" (sorry, don't remember the exact technical term for the gadget).

[Gorgon]

Didn't they already admit that they forgot to test it. It was 'blowout preventer'. Sounds vaguely humorous somehow.

[Gorth]

Quite possibly. I'll confess to not being up to date at all on the issue

[Gromnir]

Well BP are already liable, every day this continues is money down the drain.

 

three years from now, only experts will be able to tell that there were an oil leak in the gulf simply by looking at the coast. nothing as grisly as oil-soaked pelicans, or a few thousand dead fish littering the shores, will be available to bear witness to the tragedy. hundred page reports on soil toxicity is not hardly as sexy as one dead bird. a committee, or ombudsman, or something similar, will be tasked with determining when bp stops paying, and how much they eventual pay. bp will happily fight a war with experts. bp will gladly go to court, and eventually agree on settlements or outlast the plaintiffs. bp will help fund candidate reelections and they will make very public demonstrations o' their continuing dedication to the community... create new jobs in these troubled times. *snicker*

 

as each year goes by, the amount which bp will pay will become ever smaller compared to what they might actually owe... and we ain't even suggesting that a multibillion dollar corporation might use underhanded methods such as illegal payoffs to reduce and obliterate fines, 'cause that would be wrong.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Walsingham]

Of course BP will have done a risk assessment on the rig. But it doesn't automatically follow that this situation was

 

a) foreseen

b) doesn't lie far outside their acceptable loss

c) they have any capability to fix it no matter what their intent is

 

More importantly, Gromnir, what alternative is there to a risk management approach? Don't get involved in anything more risky than baking cupcakes?