Ethics in Engineering: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (BP 2010) Deepwater Horizon was an oil-drilling rig located in the Macondo well, 41 miles south of Louisiana, and operated by BP (British Petroleum Company). On April 20th, 2010 an explosion in the rig killed 11 people and would consequently lead to the biggest oil spill in history. The rig leaked for almost 90 days causing severe environmental damage, as according to new estimates 205.8 million gallons of crude oil were released to the Gulf of Mexico (Hooch).
According to BP, the explosion was a result of eight failures of safety systems that could have avoided the incident. The failures listed included "dodgy" cement, two valve failures, a pressure test misinterpretation, and no gas alarm, among a few others (Mullins). Supposedly the cement should have sealed the well, but it failed to do so as gas leaked towards the surface. The pipes also had a valve preventing the gas from traveling upwards, which didn't worked properly. The next mistake was a misinterpretation of a pressure test 50 minutes before the explosion, which led the engineers to believe the well was in performing conditions when it really wasn't. When the crew finally …show more content…
In response to the leak 17,500 National Guard Troops were deployed; 40,000 people joined cleanup efforts and 6,400 vessels were used to recollect the oil spilled. The incident also had a harsh impact to wildlife as 8,000 thousand animals were found dead in the six months following the explosion, and may have long-term impacts affecting the Gulf's ecosystem (Mackey). Several techniques for dealing with the spill were employed, such as burning the oil with controlled fires, and the use of dispersants. Nevertheless, a UAB study released this week suggests that the dispersants used can cause lung and gill injures to human and aquatic animals
According to BP, the explosion was a result of eight failures of safety systems that could have avoided the incident. The failures listed included "dodgy" cement, two valve failures, a pressure test misinterpretation, and no gas alarm, among a few others (Mullins). Supposedly the cement should have sealed the well, but it failed to do so as gas leaked towards the surface. The pipes also had a valve preventing the gas from traveling upwards, which didn't worked properly. The next mistake was a misinterpretation of a pressure test 50 minutes before the explosion, which led the engineers to believe the well was in performing conditions when it really wasn't. When the crew finally …show more content…
In response to the leak 17,500 National Guard Troops were deployed; 40,000 people joined cleanup efforts and 6,400 vessels were used to recollect the oil spilled. The incident also had a harsh impact to wildlife as 8,000 thousand animals were found dead in the six months following the explosion, and may have long-term impacts affecting the Gulf's ecosystem (Mackey). Several techniques for dealing with the spill were employed, such as burning the oil with controlled fires, and the use of dispersants. Nevertheless, a UAB study released this week suggests that the dispersants used can cause lung and gill injures to human and aquatic animals