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Deepwater Horizon Update August 5, 2010

Published Dec 28, 2010 4:14 PM by The Maritime Executive

BP Plans to Lower Prices at The Pump BP hopes to appease customers outraged over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico by trying to lower prices at the pump The effort is aimed at helping independent gas stations and distributors. BP will offer distributors incentives that could lower the price per gallon by two cents. BP to Begin Cementing Procedure on MC252 Well BP has received authorization from the National Incident Commander (NIC) to conduct cementing operations on the MC252 well as part of the static kill procedure. Pumping operations are expected to begin Thursday, August 5th. All operations are being carried out with the guidance and approval of the NIC and other government officials. The aim of the procedure is to assist with the strategy to kill and isolate the well, and will complement the upcoming relief well operation. MC252 Well Reaches Static Condition, Monitoring Underway BP announced Wednesday that the MC252 well appears to have reached a static condition -- a significant milestone. The well pressure is now being controlled by the hydrostatic pressure of the drilling mud, which is the desired outcome of the static kill procedure. Pumping of heavy drilling mud into the well from vessels on the surface began at 3:00 CDT on August 3, 2010 and was stopped after about eight hours of pumping. The well is now being monitored to ensure it remains static. Further pumping of mud may or may not be required depending on results observed during monitoring. The aim of these procedures is to assist with the strategy to kill and isolate the well, and will complement the upcoming relief well operation, which will continue as per plan. A relief well remains the ultimate solution to kill and permanently cement the well. The first relief well, which started May 2, has set its final 9 7/8-inch casing. Operations on the relief wells are suspended during static kill operations. Depending upon weather conditions, mid-August is the current estimate of the most likely date by which the first relief well will intercept the Macondo well annulus, and kill and cement operations commence. Spill by the Numbers

  • 219,240,000 gallons leaked into the Gulf of Mexico (based on Gov. est. of 60,000 barrels/day)
  • $22.7 billion: Potential loss to Gulf Coast travel economy over 3 years, according to a study conducted by Oxford Economics. The U.S. Travel Association (USTA) has called for a $500 million emergency marketing fund from BP to attract visitors to the area. The USTA estimates that this fund could reduce the total economic impact by one third or $7.5 billion.
  • 198,550 total reasons for claims
  • $3,019: average payment per claim reason in Florida
  • $261.9 million: total amount paid for claims in all states
  • 1.84 million gallons of total dispersant applied to surface & sub-sea
  • 11.4 million feet of containment & absorbent boom deployed
  • 57,539 square miles remain closed to fishing
  • 641 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline was affected by oil

Results of Dispersant Use The E.P.A. reports that spraying dispersants on oily water in the Gulf of Mexico to break up the spill does not make the water any more toxic than it was with crude alone. The toxicity of the mix of oil and dispersant was generally in the range of “moderate,” comparable to the effects of the oil. While the use of chemical dispersants always poses risks, the agency’s latest research shows that using dispersants to limit the effects of the BP spill was wise. The E.P.A. has yet to investigate the health effects of the breakdown products of the dispersant. The Dead Zone Scientists say that this year the “dead zone” area that forms every summer in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the largest ever measured. It is roughly the size of New Jersey, or at least 7,722 square miles, according to the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium.

Administration Wide Response VESSELS

  • Vessels of Opportunity: 1,535
  • Barges: more than 510
  • Skimmers: more than 830
  • Other Vessels: more than 2,100 Total active response vessels: more than 4,900 Aircraft: 85

BOOM DATA

  • Boom deployed: more than 3.1 million feet
  • Boom staged: more than 1.0 million feet Total boom: more than 4.1 million feet

OIL RECOVERED

  • Oily water recovered: over 34.7 million gallons
  • Amount estimated burned: 11.1 million gallons
  • Oil recovered at the source over last 24hrs: 0 gallons

DISPERSANTS

  • Surface dispersant used: 1, 072,514 gallons
  • Subsea dispersant used: 771,272 gallons
  • Total dispersant used: 1,843,786 gallons

PERSONNEL INVOLVED

  • Overall personnel responding: more than 31,100 personnel responding