Revisiting the Macondo well disaster

[Arcane]

The Macondo well disaster in the gulf hasn't been mentioned in awhile so here's a link to a story about what the presidential commission investigating the accident believe is one of the many causes of it. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/us...l.html?_r=1&hp

[dp]

The performance of Kevin Costner's Ella G and her miracle centrifuges is still missing from the record. I'm convinced it was an unremarkable venture that accomplished nothing out of the ordinary.

And the Ella G isn't the only over-hyped topic to float to the surface of the gulf. What ever happened to the "greatest man-caused disaster in history"? It's all back to normal: http://www.gadling.com/2010/10/26/fr...ulf-fisheries/

But playing the victim is still quite popular.

[Mark McGrath]

Apparently it`s ok for TMT to mouth off about BP on this forum,but when Halliburton admit they never tested the cement they were using to cement the well,and I ask what TMT has to say,my post get`s locked.
I hope it`s not because we are now blaming an American company for the disaster that has caused the locking,because,if you look at who actually owns BP it`s more American than British.

[Your Old Dog]

I hope it`s not because we are now blaming an American company for the disaster that has caused the locking,because,if you look at who actually owns BP it`s more American than British.

Hey, it's the New York Times, I'm surprised they didn't say George and Laura knew all about it as they have/had ties to Halliburton. What happened to the employee who complained to his boss about the defective rubber seal?

Catastrophic events like this cannot be allowed to happen to the environment. When they do, those responsible for it should do hard time. Companies and employees need to get the message there is no rug big enough to sweep these kinds of errors under.

[camdigger]

There area couple of key passages in the report....

quote....Further, the panel found, “Halliburton and BP both had results in March showing that a very similar foam slurry design to the one actually pumped at the Macondo well would be unstable, but neither acted upon that data.”

and

Quote “Because it may be anticipated that a particular cement job may be faulty, the oil industry has developed tests, such as the negative pressure test and cement evaluation logs, to identify cementing failures,” he wrote. “It has also developed methods to remedy deficient cement jobs. BP and/or Transocean personnel misinterpreted or chose not to conduct such tests at the Macondo well.”

In its investigation, BP said that on the morning of April 20, its team decided not to conduct a cement evaluation log. It said that in relying on other types of assessments, the team ignored BP’s own guidelines.

In addition, BP is the owner of the well and was in control of operations and was responsible for the final selections of procedures and materials used. As a condition of the initial contract, Halliburton will have a 2 or 3 page liability limiting clause in the "terms and conditions" section of all their contracts and invoices. BP is still the responsible party.

There is also a reference within the report that there were "multiple failures".

[J Tiers]

The american people won't remember this in two weeks.... they can't, its been blown out of their minds by reality TV shows.....

"uh, like, what's oil, man?"

They won't remember who they voted for, or why, in another two weeks....

And it was also reported that BP made the request for the cement changes, and THEY didn't ask any questions either. It's THEIR well, and BP cannot wiggle out of that one. You know they are gonna try.

[jugs]

Apparently it`s ok for TMT to mouth off about BP on this forum,but when Halliburton admit they never tested the cement they were using to cement the well,and I ask what TMT has to say,my post get`s locked.
I hope it`s not because we are now blaming an American company for the disaster that has caused the locking,because,if you look at who actually owns BP it`s more American than British.

Mark,
I think it got locked cos the tone of your post was antagonistic from the start.

The gulf debacle was caused by you & me demanding cheap cheap cheap, BP & Halliburton etc then cut corners to make it happen & most times they get away with it, Govenments who should be looking after our interests are to corupt & busy in the feeding trough to regulate.

We band slavery in the west, but are very happy to consume products from the slave/sweat shops of the far east, as long as its cheap. They may be brown & yellow instead of black but are still slaves, (many under 6yrs), again caused by you & me demanding cheap cheap cheap.

john

[Evan]

It's all back to normal:

That remains to be seen. Loons migrate to the gulf coast each fall about now and spend the winter in the coastal marshes. They are divers and bottom feeders. They are also very sensitive to toxins. The numbers have been falling steadily for years. How many come back next year will tell the story.

[jugs]

That remains to be seen. Loons migrate to the gulf coast each fall about now and spend the winter in the coastal marshes. They are divers and bottom feeders. They are also very sensitive to toxins. The numbers have been falling steadily for years. How many come back next year will tell the story.

Evan,
Are you referring to the birds or the people

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loon

john

[Peter Neill]

If you're going to selectively quote, then so can I


Quote: “There is no indication that Halliburton highlighted to BP the significance of the foam stability data or that BP personnel raised any questions about it,”

and

Quote: Another Halliburton cement test, carried out about a week before the blowout of the well on April 20, also found the mixture to be unstable, meaning it was unlikely to set properly in the well, but those findings were never sent to BP, Mr. Bartlit found after reviewing previously undisclosed documents.

and

Quote: Although Mr. Bartlit did not specifically identify the cement failure as the sole or even primary cause of the blowout, he made clear in his letter that if the cement had done its job and kept the highly pressurized oil and gas out of the well bore, there would have been no accident.

So ultimate responsibility lies with BP, but it sounds like the ultimate fault and ultimate blame lies squarely with Halliburton.