THE GULF OIL DISASTER

(THE PATH TO TRAGEDY)

INTRODUCTION

On 20 April 2010, an explosion and fire occurred on the Deepwater Horizon, a floating deep-sea
oil-drilling platform, operated by Transocean and leased to British Petroleum’s (BP) Macondo
Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico.
Claimed the lives of 11 oil rig workers, and severely injuring 17 others. The charred
superstructure collapsed and sank into the Gulf, producing a “wellhead blowout” as the oil inlet
disconnected at a seafloor depth of 5,100 ft. Over the subsequent period of 87 days, before the
wellhead was successfully capped on 15 July 2010, more than 4.9 million barrels of petroleum
(210,000,000USgal; 780,000 m³) flowed into the Gulf.
EVENT DESCRIPTION Nonintentional Anthropogenic Technological
Disaster

DATE 20 April 2020

TIME 14:45GMT

LOCATION Gulf of Mexico

DURATION 87 days

HAZARDOUS MATERIAL Petroleum, Chemical Dispersing- “corexit”

AREA OF SPILL 1,76,120km²

VOLUME OF SPILL 7,80,000m³

COASTLINE AFFECTED Gulf of Mexico Coastline for states of

Mississippi,Louisiana,Alabama and Florida
32 other Costal Countries were also affected

LOSS Ecosystem Loss,Economic

Loss,Unemployment,Extinction,Tourism Industry
Loss
BACKGROUND
The Deepwater Horizon was a 9-year-old semi-submersible, mobile, floating, dynamically positioned
drilling rig that could operate in waters up to 10,000 ft. (3,000 m) deep. Built by South Korean
company Hyundai Heavy Industries and owned by Transocean, the rig operated under the Marshallese
flag of convenience, and was chartered to BP from March 2008 to September 2013.It was drilling a
deep exploratory well, 18,360 ft. (5,600 m) below sea level, in approximately 5,100 ft. (1,600 m) of
water. The well is situated in the Macondo Prospect in Mississippi Canyon Block 252 (MC252) of the
Gulf of Mexico, in the United States' exclusive economic zone. The Macondo well is found roughly 66
km off the Louisiana coast. BP was the operator and principal developer of the Macondo Prospect with
a 65% share, while 25% was owned by Anadarko Petroleum, and 10% by MOEX Offshore 2007, a unit
of Mitsui.
EXPLOSION

At approximately 7:45 pm CDT, on 20 April 2010, high-pressure

methane gas from the well expanded into the marine riser and rose
into the drilling rig, where it ignited and exploded, engulfing the
platform.