Part I: Introduction
A. Objective The objective of this paper is to showcase and explain the costs and losses of the explosion and sinking of the Deep Water Horizon Drilling Platform owned by Transocean and leased by BP Oil and the sea-floor oil gusher that flowed through 87 days in the Gulf of Mexico. We will showcase the costs and loses from the beginning of the disaster, which was in April 20th to until the oil flusher was capped on, which was in July 15th. Moreover, we will show the consequences and legal actions that were taken after the disaster occurred to minimize damages and loses caused by the disaster.
B. Organization To reach our objective we researched thoroughly through archives of files and articles in search of information about the economic effects of the explosion and sinking of the deep Water Horizon Drilling Platform. We also searched for the consequences that both BP and Transocean had to go through as the two main parties involved in this tragedy and the actions taken from them as well as other organizations to minimize or eliminate costs and losses. The paper is organized by first defining relevant terms to this case, followed up by a summary of the tragedy and its conclusion. Our paper then moves to the overall quantitative and qualitative losses that both companies and other affect parties experienced. Lastly, we will describe the legal or regulatory actions as well as other actions made by Transocean and BP and other organizations due to the
British petroleum has experienced a series of oil spill accidents since it was established, however, the 2010 oil spill was considered the worst oil spill accident in the company’s history. The drilling rig in the Deepwater Horizon exploded and killed 11 workers and released thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico (Arnold & McKay 16). The accident affected different states along the coastline including Texas, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama and Louisiana. In addition, the oil spill affected the wild life as it killed birds, fish and destroyed nearby ecosystems and economies including tourism and fishing. Several factors contributed to the oil spill accident including cost saving and failure to put in place safety
This essay will discuss the long lasting effects on the economy from the explosion on the DeepWater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The events that took place on April 20, 2010 would go down in history as the worst deep sea oil spill in history. British Petroleum would suffer its greatest lost to date when one of its drilling rigs the Deepwater Horizon would blow up in the Gulf of Mexico (Crandall, Parnell & Spillan, 2014). In the days and weeks following the explosion there were signs of a problem that were overlooked after test came back inconclusive on one of the pressure systems.
All indications are that the Company’s behavior pre oil spill was irresponsible and negligent and was potentially driven primarily by a focus to provide strong returns on their investments while compromising the integrity and internal controls of the operations. Post oil spill, the Company has had to learn from the consequences of a very costly disaster in order to stay in business and thrive. The Organization appears to understand now the need for effective communication, transparency and detailed due-diligence in all their efforts.
On April 20, 2010 there was an explosion in a drilling rig that was operated and owned by Transocean. The drilling rig’s official name was “Deepwater Horizon Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit” and was in the process of drilling oil in the Macondo Propect oil field, located 40 miles off the Louisiana southeast coast. The cause was reported as a “Wellhead blowout” which cause the rig to explode, dumping more than 200 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and resulting in 11 casualties.
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill occurred on April 20, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill was the largest spill in history in front of the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989. This oil spill released about 4.9 million barrels of oil into the ocean. This spill not only wreck havoc on the marine life but also the economic players that depended on ocean such as fisherman, tourism, and offshore drilling located along the gulf coast. Along will the spill the oil rig which was named Deepwater Horizon also went up in flames. This proved that the issue went far beyond just an oil rig that blew a line. Since this oil spill had drastic impacts all along the coast, BP which was the most liable for this incident faced criminal charges based on what happened. BP which knew the risks of deep ocean drilling failed to take the necessary safety procedures to reduce the risks of such incident occurring, thus was the reasoning behind placing most of the fault on them and not the other companies. The lack of regulatory oversight led to the issues and cost-cutting procedures opened the rig up to possible malfunctions like the one that occurred. During the spill into the gulf, BP sealed the well with cement which seemed to stop a majority of the oil from escaping the well. BP also recognized that the well was “dead” which was proven wrong when scientists still could conclude was leaking minor amounts of oil into the ocean. This spill not only proved to be harmful to the environment but also
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon, claimed by Transocean and contracted to BP, encountered a sad and yet powerful blast,ending with the lives of eleven specialists. It additionally uncapped an ocean depths gusher that streamed for 87 days. An expected 210 million gallons of oil hurried into the Atlantic waters, destroying marine natural life and conveying the tourism and fish enterprises
On April 20, 2010 the British Petroleum Deep Water Horizon (DWH) drilling rig exploded and subsequently sank in the waters of Gulf of Mexico. The result was the largest leakage of crude in the United States to date (Middlebrook et al.,
In April of 2010, the Gulf of Mexico ground to a halt. An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon mobile offshore drilling unit resulted in one of the worst environmental and economic catastrophes in history. Eleven members of the crew were killed, many others sustained serious and permanent injuries. A moratorium on drilling lasted long into the following year. Massive layoffs ensued across multiple business sectors. Many commercial fishing vessels could not leave port, and those that did caught far fewer fish. Oyster beds were destroyed and miles of wetlands were marred by oil. At the time, we could only imagine how pervasive the effects would be. Shortly after the explosion, Arnold & Itkin LLP, a Houston-based litigation boutique, which represented
BP Exploration and Production, Inc. (BP) (defendant) and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (Anadarko) (defendant) co-leased oil and gas rights in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and co-owned a producing well on the leasehold. A blowout occurred in the well while Deepwater Horizon, a mobile offshore-drilling unit (MODU) owned by Transocean (defendant), was engaged in drilling operations on the well. Deepwater Horizon broke off the well and sank. As a result, oil flowed from the well, through what remained of the riser that had connected the well to Deepwater Horizon, and into the Gulf. The United States government (plaintiff) sought to impose joint and several liability on all defendants under the Oil Pollution Act (OPA), 33 U.S.C. §§ 2701-04, for the
In April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon was in very deep water, and put a dynamic and semi-submersible offshore drilling owned by Transocean. Manipulation, while drilling in the Macondo Prospect, causing the explosion can not be controlled explosion on a platform in which 11 crew members were killed and ignited a fireball visible from 40 miles (64 km) away
The objective of this research paper is to examine the BP Deepwater Horizon accident from an environmental, economic and social standpoint as it describes the interrelationship of the triple constraints (Scope, Time and Cost) in its Project Management. This paper briefly explains the possible causes of the accident and situation around the incident, as well as its analysis; whether it was caused by failure of an engineering system in place for safety, safety management system of the company or it was a consequence of human error resulting from the negligence of an employee. In addition, how this incident affects the environment adversely and the emphasis that should be placed on Green Project
This paper will explain some of the effects of three legal issues and three ethical issues surrounding the London-based British Petroleum Company’s involvement in the explosion of the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon and the subsequent oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico. There are many legal issues surrounding this disaster, but the three this paper will focus on are the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, maritime laws, and criminal charges
The government was also responsible for activating coast guards and the military in its response to the spill. Hence, the role of the US government here is crucial as a “parent” to ensure that BP acts in the welfare of its citizens.
On April 20, the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico led to the largest accidental release of oil into marine waters in history. As a result, a huge loss of money and life was caused and affected serious environmental damage to wild animals and water pollution. BP was accused of their irresponsibility that it took 87 days before the well was closed and sealed. BP’s shares
Deepwater Horizon oil Spill: BP’s drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico had an explosion in April 2010, causing the “largest oil spill catastrophe in the petroleum industry history”. It caused the death of 11 men and injury to several others. “More than 150,000 barrels of crude oil gushed into the sea, every day, for almost 5 months and up to 68,000 square miles of the Gulf 's surface were covered” (1).