OilPrice.com | | Oil Spills

OilPrice.com | | Oil Spills News and analysis into oil spills and cleanup operations. We cover the Exxon Valdiz oil spill and Deepwater Horizon accidents in detail. http://oilprice.com/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:28:07 GMT Oilprice.com (info@oilprice.com) In Warning to Polluters, Brazil to Impose Record Fine on Chevron and Transocean http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/In-Warning-To-Polluters-Brazil-To-Impose-Record-Fine-On-Chevron-And-Transocean.html On 8 November oil began leaking from well 9-FR-50DP-RJS in 3,930 feet of water in Brazil’s Campo de Frade offshore field, 230 miles northeast of Rio de Janeiro state in the Campos Basin. In October the Frade field, which has been in production since 2009, produced 76,000 barrels a day of oil and natural gas. Chevron Corp. maintains that upon receiving approval from the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum on 13 November, its subsidiary Chevron do Brasil Ltd immediately began plugging and abandonment activities and subsequently announced that…

]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:16:35 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/In-Warning-To-Polluters-Brazil-To-Impose-Record-Fine-On-Chevron-And-Transocean.html BP Accuses Halliburton of Destroying Evidence of its Involvement in the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/BP-Accuses-Halliburton-Of-Destroying-Evidence-Of-Its-Involvement-In-The-Gulf-Of-Mexico-Oil-Spill.html BP claims Halliburton Energy Services Inc. intentionally destroyed evidence that proved the firm shared the blame for last year's massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill. According to BP's federal court filing yesterday, Halliburton hid test results showing samples of the cement used to seal BP's Macondo well after it exploded. The fight is getting ugly as BP and Halliburton sue each other over the fault of the blow-out that resulted in 11 deaths, hundreds of lawsuits from locally damaged businesses and the country's worst offshore oil spill in history.…

]]> energydigital@oilprice.com (Energy Digital) Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:55:04 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/BP-Accuses-Halliburton-Of-Destroying-Evidence-Of-Its-Involvement-In-The-Gulf-Of-Mexico-Oil-Spill.html A Look at Oil Spills and Oil Spill Prevention http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/A-Look-At-Oil-Spills-And-Oil-Spill-Prevention.html Leaks happen whether anyone wants them to or not. All that can be done is to try to anticipate them and prevent them by useful maintenance and repairs before the leak happens. A computer model that tests automobile components for crashworthiness could also be of use to the oil and gas industry, according to researchers at MIT’s Impact and Crashworthiness Laboratory, who are now using their simulations of material deformation in car crashes to predict how pipes may fracture in offshore drilling accidents. President Barack Obama in May 2010…

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]]> soosi@oilprice.com (Andy Soos) Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:58:36 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/A-Look-At-Oil-Spills-And-Oil-Spill-Prevention.html Private Investigators Findings on the Deepwater Horizon Commission Report http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Private-Investigators-Findings-On-The-Deepwater-Horizon-Commission-Report.html A Closer Look at The Commission Report on the Deepwater Horizon Disaster The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling has released its report to the President entitled, “Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling.” It is dedicated to the 11 men who perished on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. The seven-member Commission was charged with investigating the disaster, analyzing its causes and effects and providing recommendations to minimize future risks. At…

]]> whelptond@oilprice.com (David Whelpton) Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:53:52 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Private-Investigators-Findings-On-The-Deepwater-Horizon-Commission-Report.html Methane Gas Concentration at Normal Levels in Gulf of Mexico Following Spill http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Methane-Gas-Concentration-At-Normal-Levels-In-Gulf-Of-Mexico-Following-Spill.html There is a relationship between known hydrocarbon (oil and natural gas) discoveries at great depth in the Gulf of Mexico and hydrocarbon seepage such as Methane at the seafloor. Chemosynthetic communities are associated with these seeps. They are remarkable in that they utilize a carbon source independent of photosynthesis and the sun-dependent photosynthetic food chain that supports all other life on Earth. Chemosynthetic communities occur in isolated areas with thin veneers of sediment only a few meters thick. Calling the results "extremely surprising,"…

]]> soosi@oilprice.com (Andy Soos) Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:27:34 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Methane-Gas-Concentration-At-Normal-Levels-In-Gulf-Of-Mexico-Following-Spill.html Methane From Deepwater Horizon Spill Being Consumed by Microbes 100 Times Faster Than Expected http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Methane-From-Deepwater-Horizon-Spill-Being-Consumed-By-Microbes-100-Times-Faster-Than-Expected.html The Deepwater Horizon spill was a horrible environmental disaster which caused the release of massive amounts of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Methane, a natural greenhouse gas, was also released during the catastrophe. However, researchers have found that the methane is being consumed by microbes at a rate 10 to 100 times faster than previously believed. These microbes are essential in bringing the Gulf back to a healthier state. Methane naturally seeps at spots scattered across the sea floor. Special microbes have evolved to digest and thrive…

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]]> gabeli@oilprice.com (David Gabel) Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:16:33 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Methane-From-Deepwater-Horizon-Spill-Being-Consumed-By-Microbes-100-Times-Faster-Than-Expected.html Climate Change a Major Factor in Weather Related Natural Disasters – Munich Re http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Climate-Change-A-Major-Factor-In-Weather-Related-Natural-Disasters-Munich-Re.html Reinsurance giant Munich Re has cited climate change as a major factor in the “marked increase” in worldwide weather-related natural disasters in the first nine months of the year. The conclusion comes as the group puts global insurance losses due to weather-related natural catastrophes at $18 billion for the months January to September, while the bill for overall losses has come in at more than $65 billion. Events such as severe flooding in Pakistan and wildfires in Russia contributed to the 725 weather-related natural hazard events…

]]> duds@oilprice.com (Charlotte Dudley) Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:11:04 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Climate-Change-A-Major-Factor-In-Weather-Related-Natural-Disasters-Munich-Re.html So, What Did Happen After the Chinese Oil-Spill? http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/So-What-Did-Happen-After-The-Chinese-Oil-Spill.html On the 16th of July, China experienced its first major oil-spill. The Chinese incident was also caused by an explosion (this time during the transfer of oil from a tanker to a reserve owned by the China National Petroleum Corp), but is nothing like the size of the BP spillage in the Gulf of Mexico. The amount of public information released in any level of detail has so far been scant, but in this month's Chemistry World, the British Royal Society of Chemistry has published an article which provides some update of the state of play in the aftermath…

]]> profs@oilprice.com (Professor Chris Rhodes) Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:17:20 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/So-What-Did-Happen-After-The-Chinese-Oil-Spill.html What Will the Relief Well Find at Deepwater Horizon http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/What-Will-The-Relief-Well-Find-At-Deepwater-Horizon.html With Labor Day weekend, and the recovery of the blowout preventer from the Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico, the remaining parts of the operation are going to be increasingly directed at plugging the well, so that it can be abandoned. Part of this operation will be to ensure that the bottom plugs at the reservoir end of the well have adequately sealed off the bottom of the well. To do this, the relief well will be used to intersect the top of the unlined section of the original well, and determine the condition and fluid content of…

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]]> tol@oilprice.com (The Oil Drum) Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:06:48 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/What-Will-The-Relief-Well-Find-At-Deepwater-Horizon.html Another Oil Spill in The Gulf Of Mexico http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Another-Oil-Spill-In-The-Gulf-Of-Mexico-.html The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today reopened to commercial and recreational fishing 5,130 square miles of Gulf waters stretching from the far eastern coast of Louisiana, through Mississippi, Alabama, and the western Florida panhandle. The Mariner Energy oil platform just had an explosion is about 250 miles from September 3rd reopening. The fire on a Mariner Energy Inc. oil and natural-gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico has been extinguished in an event that may prolong the U.S. drilling moratorium imposed after…

]]> soosi@oilprice.com (Andy Soos) Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:43:30 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Another-Oil-Spill-In-The-Gulf-Of-Mexico-.html Microbes Dissolving the Oil Spill Much Faster Than Anticipated http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Microbes-Dissolving-The-Oil-Spill-Much-Faster-Than-Anticipated.html What is the real story about the "missing oil"? One study shows that most of the oil is gone, while another shows that there is still a whole lot of it in a mid-depth plume not visible from the surface. The answer might have been found in research announced today by Lawrence Berkeley Lab of the US Department of Energy. They found the plume alright, but they also found that microbial activity, spearheaded by a new and unclassified species, degrades oil much faster than anticipated. This degradation appears to take place without a significant level…

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]]> ennet@oilprice.com (Environmental News Network) Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:38:59 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Microbes-Dissolving-The-Oil-Spill-Much-Faster-Than-Anticipated.html Media and Politics Impact on The Oil Spill Disaster that Isn’t http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Media-And-Politics-Impact-On-The-Oil-Spill-Disaster-That-Isnt.html The BP well blowout, fire, explosion and platform collapse, and the ensuing crude oil leak are without doubt the result of human failings. Underestimating the quality of the reservoir is one reason, perhaps some engineering choices and safety oversights, inadequate equipment, testing that didn’t work out in the real world and all the rest only show that human planning can come up short. Now that its over this writer can recoil from the anger felt as the catastrophe unfolded. Yes, the well getting away is cause No. 1 – something…

]]> james@pokemoncard.info (Brian Westenhaus) Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:42:43 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Media-And-Politics-Impact-On-The-Oil-Spill-Disaster-That-Isnt.html Why Oceans Are So Resilient To Oil Spills http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Why-Oceans-Are-So-Resilient-To-Oil-Spills.html A 2003 research paper by Kvenvolden and Cooper in Geo-Marine Letters estimated that natural seeps dump 140,000 metric tons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico each year – over one million barrels of crude per year. In fact, the authors estimate that 47% of all the petroleum found in the sea is from natural seeps – the largest single source, ahead of airborne pollution, ground runoff and drilling/shipping accidents. _EnergyTribune Worldwide seeps can add up to more that 14 million barrels a year, and in the Gulf of Mexico the NRC report…

]]> thyu@oilprice.com (Al Fin) Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:58:03 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Why-Oceans-Are-So-Resilient-To-Oil-Spills.html Gulf Spill Has ‘Far Reaching’ Impact on Oil Company Credit – S&P http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Gulf-Spill-Has-Far-Reaching-Impact-On-Oil-Company-Credit-SP.html The oil spill and subsequent suspension of drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico will have a long-term impact on the creditworthiness of oil and gas companies, according to ratings agency Standard & Poors. “For oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico, the business ramifications are likely to be far reaching and enduring. And regulatory oversight and safety restrictions … will in our view have cost and operational implications for all offshore operators in the US,” the firm said in its CreditWeek publication last week.…

]]> cundy@oilprice.com (Christopher Cundy) Sat, 07 Aug 2010 14:04:42 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/Gulf-Spill-Has-Far-Reaching-Impact-On-Oil-Company-Credit-SP.html The Greatest Manmade Oil Spill http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/The-Greatest-Manmade-Oil-Spill.html Take a good look at the graph below. It shows average annual oil spills into the ocean in thousands of metric tonnes. Nature spills more oil than man, but of all manmade oil spills, the greatest by far is the oil that leaks onto the highway or is intentionally poured out, which is carried downstream by rainfall, down to the sea. Consumption spills and leaks amount to almost 500,000 metric tonnes a year, which is about 3.5 million barrels a year, or roughly 150 million gallons a year of oil. You can see that the 1979 Ixtoc 1 spill off the Mexican…

]]> thyu@oilprice.com (Al Fin) Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:54:09 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/The-Greatest-Manmade-Oil-Spill.html The BP Oil Spill: The Static Kill Process Has Started http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/The-BP-Oil-Spill-The-Static-Kill-Process-Has-Started.html Progress on the relief well at the Deepwater Horizon well has now reached the point that BP have started the procedures for the top static kill of the well. There was a little delay in the installation of the casing for the relief well because, during the time that the well had been left untended during the last storm, the sides sloughed a little, and about 40 ft of debris accumulated in the bottom of the well. This was obviously more than had been expected, since the clearing run to remove this and condition the well took longer than originally…

]]> tol@oilprice.com (The Oil Drum) Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:54:08 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/The-BP-Oil-Spill-The-Static-Kill-Process-Has-Started.html BP Oil Spill Damages to Stretch Insurance Coverage http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/BP-Oil-Spill-Damages-To-Stretch-Insurance-Coverage.html BP and its partners on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig do not have enough insurance to cover the potential damages sought in litigation so far, according to an analysis by insurance information provider Advisen. Advisen maintains a database tracking significant lawsuits filed against companies and their directors and officers. A search of the database identified 158 unique cases related to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig which exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. But the firm believes that more than 400 individual cases have been filed so far, according…

]]> ruyi@oilprice.com (Gloria Gonzalez) Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:51:25 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/BP-Oil-Spill-Damages-To-Stretch-Insurance-Coverage.html As Oil Rapidly Disappears, Crews Prepare to Kill the Well http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/As-Oil-Rapidly-Disappears-Crews-Prepare-To-Kill-The-Well-.html ...the pressure in the well has now risen to just over 6,900 psi, while the temperature at the BOP remains at 40 deg – suggesting no flow and that well integrity is apparent. The storm has, however, dispersed and moved the oil ..._BitToothEnergy It is becoming almost impossible for oil cleanup crews on the Gulf of Mexico to find any oil to clean up -- both onshore and offshore. It seems that nature is a lot better at cleaning up oil in the warm waters of the Gulf than academics, plaintiff's attorneys, and political activists have been claiming.…

]]> thyu@oilprice.com (Al Fin) Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:15:45 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/As-Oil-Rapidly-Disappears-Crews-Prepare-To-Kill-The-Well-.html As Tropical Storm Bonnie Breaks Apart Ships Return to the Deepwater Horizon Site http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/As-Tropical-Storm-Bonnie-Breaks-Apart-Ships-Return-To-The-Deepwater-Horizon-Site.html Tropical Storm Bonnie broke up over Florida, and is now heading across the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical depression. Some of the mission-critical ships involved in drilling relief wells and in monitoring the seafloor, are hustling back to the Deepwater Horizon spill site so as to not lose any more time than is necessary. The Obama White House -- previously in full panic mode -- may now take a moment to relax and breathe deeply again. Some ships prepared to move back to the site of BP's broken oil well Saturday as the remnants of a weakening Tropical…

]]> thyu@oilprice.com (Al Fin) Mon, 26 Jul 2010 8:53:24 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/As-Tropical-Storm-Bonnie-Breaks-Apart-Ships-Return-To-The-Deepwater-Horizon-Site.html As Hurricane Nears Oil Spill Site Obama Sidesteps Critical Decision http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/As-Hurricane-Nears-Oil-Spill-Site-Obama-Sidesteps-Critical-Decision.html BP workers in the Gulf of Mexico have stopped drilling a relief well and are preparing to evacuate the oil spill site as a tropical depression nears. There is a 20-30% chance of tropical storm force winds (39mph or more) at the spill site by Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center says. Because of the slow-moving vessels at the spill site, evacuation plans are already well under way. Work on the relief well could be suspended for up to two weeks. _BBC It is time to make critical decisions about the state of the Macondo wellhead. But decision making…

]]> thyu@oilprice.com (Al Fin) Fri, 23 Jul 2010 9:51:18 GMT http://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Oil-Spills/As-Hurricane-Nears-Oil-Spill-Site-Obama-Sidesteps-Critical-Decision.html