Re: Oil Rig explosion/Gulf Oil Spill If I was Thad Allen, I think I would be working on updating my resume.
Re: Oil Rig explosion/Gulf Oil Spill Isn't he the one who was supposed to have retired, but is staying on to oversee this?
Re: Oil Rig explosion/Gulf Oil Spill All I know is he's a Coast Guard admiral who appears to be in well over his head.
Re: Oil Rig explosion/Gulf Oil Spill its pretty clear that there were mistakes. but basically bp was throwing its weight around to get transocean and halliburton to do what the wanted (ie get the oil fast). hasnt anyone posted the info about the company man on the rig arguing with 3 rig guys about what to do? the rig guys gave in. had something to do with displacing the mud with saltwater sooner. one of the rig workers said "well, i guess thats what we have pinchers for"
Re: Oil Rig explosion/Gulf Oil Spill " Douglas H. Brown, Transocean's chief mechanic on the Deepwater Horizon rig, said key representatives from both companies had a "skirmish" during an 11 a.m. meeting on April 20. Less than 11 hours later, the well had a blowout, Mr. Brown said Transocean's crew leaders—including the rig operator's top manager, Jimmy W. Harrell—strongly objected to a decision by BP's top representative, or "company man," over how to start removing heavy drilling fluid and replacing it with lighter seawater from a riser pipe connected to the well head. Such pipes act as conduits between the rig and the wellhead at the ocean floor, and carry drilling fluid in and out of the well. It wasn't clear what Mr. Harrell objected to specifically about BP's instructions, but the rig's primary driller, Dewey Revette, and tool pusher, Miles Randall Ezell, both of Transocean, also disagreed with BP, Mr. Brown said. However, BP was in charge of the operation and the BP representative prevailed, Mr. Brown said. "The company man was basically saying, 'This is how it's gonna be,' " said Mr. Brown, who didn't recall the name of the BP representative in question. Mr. Harrell "pretty much grumbled in his manner, 'I guess that is what we have those pinchers for,' " Mr. Brown testified. He said it was a reference to the shear rams on the drilling operation's blowout preventer, which are supposed to sever the main pipe in case of a disaster." Heated Argument on Rig Hours Before Blast - WSJ.com
Re: Oil Rig explosion/Gulf Oil Spill The reason behind BP wanting to use the seawater instead of the mud..........It would CUT the time in HALF, for them to start making money!
Re: Oil Rig explosion/Gulf Oil Spill This kind of thing doesn't happen so directly. This is a BP cultural issue. Yes there is a lot of talk about safety being #1, but that is belied by safety coming in #2 to practical expediency too often. A company's culture is a result of how people become successful in the company. People who get it done are probably getting the promotions and nobody is asking how they got it done. Whoever made the decision knows that the well is late; there's been a lot of pressure to get it done and that there is a big contingent of high level executives who are either there or will be soon. That person knows that bad news isn't good for him, or at the very least he certainly thinks that. He (it could be a group decision) starts looking for things to support moving on. To a certain extent hope takes over unconsciously, but at no point did these people think that this would happen. The culture created the environment where these risks were created and accepted.
Re: Oil Rig explosion/Gulf Oil Spill Heads are starting to roll. Director of Agency Overseeing Offshore Drilling Is Fired, Sources Say
