Essay On Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, located in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, killing 11 workers and injuring 17.The oil rig was operated by the British oil company ,British Petroleum, also known as BP. The results from the accident were devastating as approximately seventeen workers were injured and eleven died . The explosion caused oil pipes to burst and spill thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and the incident has since turned into one of the worst environmental disasters in the history of the United States. The spill caused considerable damage to marine and wildlife habitats and the Gulf’s fishing and tourism industries. The White House energy advisor, Carol Browner, goes as far to say that the Deepwater oil spill is the “worst environmental disaster the US has faced.” After the disaster ,BP released a report that analyzed the events leading up to the incident. The report highlighted how one of the reasons of the spill was because of a leak detected near the well of the oil rig, as a result oil was able to leak …show more content…
In response, the crew members of the oil rig had decided to pump cement down the valve to cover the leak and primarily prevent hydrocarbon molecules from traveling up to the earth 's surface. Hydrocarbons molecules are incredibly dangerous because when they interact with the oxygen on the surface ,they become increasingly reactive , and as a result of their reactivity they usually an ignition occurs. The BP investigation team was able to conclude that there were weaknesses present in the cement design and testing ,which resulted in the cement not being able to close the leak (BP investigation team). So, the hydrocarbon molecules were indeed able to travel up the annulus and spark the ignition that caused the rig to explode and allow oil to leak into the