BP Oil Spill

Oil covered everything: beaches, animals, plants, bottoms of boats. Approximately 205.8 million gallons of oil leaked into the ocean and toward the Louisiana shoreline. To put the amount in perspective, that oil could be used to drive a Toyota Prius around the earth 184,181 times (Repanich). All of this pollution and destruction because of one singular company: British Petroleum. Needless to say, the image of BP was tarnished because of this. What can a company do to come back from such a serious setback? This was the question that was faced by the company in 2010 (when the spill occurred), and is still being wrestled with today. By analyzing BP’s “Commitment to the Gulf” ad campaign, the brand’s desired identity is made very apparent. When it comes to oil, nearly all consumers are involved. However, BP does take specific steps in order to narrow down a target audience when it comes to advertising its product. Despite the hardships faced by BP stemming from the spill, consumers still have an addiction to oil. BP, the fourth largest oil company in the world (“Biggest Oil”), has such a firm hold on consumer society that it is a necessity in today’s consumer landscape. By pushing the brand’s identity to its target audience, BP used branding to overcome a severe controversy and rebuild the image it hoped to convey to consumers.

The oil spill has been subject to global media coverage. On the 21st of April 2010 news broadcasting companies were broadcasting the news of this oil disaster all over the world. Every day in almost any general newspaper there would be an article based on both the chief executive officer (CEO) of BP and how he planned to solve the disaster or just reporting the disaster again. This is a great example of Globalisation. Due to the improvement of technologies such as the internet/ broadband and other improvements in telecommunications the globe could now receive instant news /coverage about almost anything almost anywhere in the world. Meaning that people are now more aware of what is going on in the world.

With all of the disasters mankind has caused to this earth, one might wonder if things like earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, etc. are nothing more than a response to our actions. The BP oil spill, which took place in the Gulf of Mexico, is easily recognizable as the worst oil spill disaster in American history. More than 200 million gallons of crude oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days total. The entire 16,000 miles of the Gulf coastline were affected. This included Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. The oil may have stopped gushing in 2010, but it has yet to stop washing up on the shore.

How did the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 affect our economy and environment, and what does the future hold, with regard to the environment, oil drilling, and sustainability?

A little over seven years ago, on April 20, 2010, the BP oil company’s actions created the greatest manmade disaster to the environment in the United States history. In the aftermath of this disaster, thousands of marine organisms were injured and placed in life threatening scenarios. Thanks to the spill, the Gulf of Mexico and other parts of the ocean surrounding the gulf was flooded with an estimated amount of 205.8 million gallons of oil (Sakashita). The damages to the ecosystem and other organisms in the environment was detrimental, but the quantity loss of such a finite resource was devastating to the world. Society over uses and wastes non-renewable resources, therefore, should convert to a more infinite source of energy.

On April 20, 2010, the petroleum industry suffered the largest maritime disaster oil spill in its history known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Deepwater Horizon oil rig that had been working on a well for BP in the Gulf exploded and went up in flames. Subsequently, massive amounts of oil spilled out into the water, threatening the marine life and those living on the shore. The fire burned for 36 hours before the rig sank into the ocean, leaking dangerous chemicals into the water. Hydrocarbons and oil continued to leak into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days before they managed to seal the well. “The Gulf spill, which left 11 workers dead and 17 injured, is about the size of Rhode Island, running across the northern Gulf of Mexico between the mouth of the Mississippi River and Florida. It runs wide, threatening the coastlines, and deep, traveling beneath about 5,000 feet of water and 13,000 feet under the seabed,” (Emami, 2010). BP faced an angry uproar from the media, consumers, and environmentalists all over the world. The economy and the environment suffered greatly because of this incident. As investigations began, speculations quickly arose about the morals and capability of the company. The one positive image of BP had been shattered. Customers lost faith in the company and criticized the actions of its executives. Tony

The BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill tells the tragic story of what happened on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig back in April 2010. The rig, leased from another vendor, was digging a well on the Macondo slope in the Gulf when it exploded and fatally killed eleven employees and injured seventeen others (Crandall, Parnell, & Spillan, 2014). Not to mention, five million barrels of oil spilled into the sea causing an environmental issue that lasted more than ninety days.

Only five years ago thousands of birds, dolphins, and sea turtles were washing up on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico slicked and smothered by oil. The explosion of British Petroleum's Macondo oil rig off the coast on Louisiana was the largest environmental disaster to have occurred in the United States. This well leaked over 130 million gallons of light crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, destroying habitats and killing massive amounts of wildlife. Over eighty-seven days the oil spread through the water in a 21 mile plume, creating oil slicks on the surface of the water. Oil within the Gulf caused alarming short-term effects to wildlife in the initial days of the spill, but as these short term effects begin to disappear, BP was quick to claim

“This is probably the largest environmental disaster we have ever faced in this country. It is certainly the biggest oil spill and we are responding with the biggest environmental response.” stated Carol Browner, Barack Obama's advisor on energy and climate.The offshore drilling industry has made tremendous technological strides since first freestanding structure,. for drilling was built in 1937 in the Gulf of Mexico in 14 feet of water, and more than a mile offshore. Therefore, ten years later, the first well from which oil is being produced located out of sight of land was drilled from a fixed platform off the Louisiana coast. On April 20, 2010, the deepwater horizon offshore drilling rig exploded in the gulf of Mexico. Due to the B.P Oil Spill, people who depend on oil for energy and gas had a struggle. Why the B.P Oil spill happened, what happened during the spill, and the aftermath/effects of the spill are very noticeable

BP was met with severe criticism for the ecological impacts of the oil spill, as the environment of Gulf of Mexico was completely damaged from the spill. The spill did not only bring about pollution to the marine wildlife but it also destroyed Gulf’s fishing and tourism industries. Like the effects on the physical environment, the social and economic environments were also affected. The waters of the Gulf of Mexico were closed due to pollution from the oil spill. As a result, recreational and commercial fishing were banned. The state of Louisiana closest to the oil well was greatly affected by the incident but the effects were as far reaching as the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. Since fish, oysters and shrimps form an important

Deep Water Horizon was a nine year old semisubmersible drilling rig that was designed to operate in waters ten thousand feet deep. This particular rig was built by the South Korean company Hyundai and owned by Transocean, on the world’s largest offshore drilling contractors. BP would charter the Deep Water Horizon from March 2008 to September 2013 for deep exploratory drilling. BP would drilling off of the Gulf of Mexico eighteen thousand three hundred and sixty feet below sea level, in five thousand one hundred feet of water.

BP is one of the largest company producers in both oil and natural gas in the United States, venturing on exploration and discovery, Deepwater drilling and gas supply chains. On April 20, 2010, 11 men lost their lives after an explosion in the semi-submersible drilling on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig working on the Macondo exploration well for BP in the Gulf of Mexico. The well blowout and subsequent oil spill pumped 3.2 million barrels in the Gulf of Mexico the biggest marine disaster in US history. The fire burned for 36 hours before the rig sank, and the hydrocarbons leaked into the Gulf of Mexico before the well was closed and sealed. After the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, a sea-floor oil gusher flowed for 87 days, until it was capped on July 15th 2010.

Deepwater Horizon rig, which led to the deaths of 11 of the rig workers and the occurrence of the oil spill. It is documented that the two site leaders observed warning signs that the Mocondo Well was not secured properly and that oil and gas was leaking from the well. Unfortunately, Kaluza and Vidrine did not to take proper precautions, which is why they were charged with 11 felony counts of seaman’s manslaughter, 11 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter, and 1 violation of the Clean Water Act. If BP had a culture that included corporate social responsibility training and education, that promoted safety before profits, these two men would not be facing life in prison. David I. Rainey, the Deputy Incident Commander and BP’s second highest-ranking

Everyday, we emit harmful gases into the atmosphere and are slowly, but surely, damaging the earth. Being the only known planet with the ability to sustain life, you would think we would take greater care in protecting our home. In my life and career, I want to collaborate with others towards creating more environmentally friendly fuels to power our society; during this time, I want to work towards finding more effective techniques of extracting oil, in comparison to current methods such as fracking. I believe these goals to be very achievable by obtaining a degree in petroleum engineering, then continuing on to graduate school. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and a 2013 study that turned algae into oil in under an hour, are the two dominant reasons I have been drawn to the petroleum field.

BP, formerly known as British Petroleum, is the third largest oil and gas producer in the world, producing almost 3.8 million barrels per day. BP was founded in 1908 by William Knox D’Arcy in London, United Kingdom. The company operates worldwide in several sectors of the oil and gas industry such as generating low carbon energy, moving oil and gas, and off and onshore oil and gas extraction (BP, 2014). However, the offshore Deepwater Horizon oil spill that happened on April 20th, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico was one of the greatest oil spills that took place in history. The disaster caused the loss of the lives of 11 workers, severely injuring 17 workers, and the aftermath had a great impact on the environment in the Gulf of Mexico.