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Posted by feww on July 30, 2010
Natural-color image captured on July 28, 2010 by MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite. Source: NASA E/O. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (818 KB, JPEG).
Posted in BP oil disaster, BP oil spill, Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill | Tagged: BP Oil Disaster Satellite Images, Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, Macondo oil well | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on July 12, 2010
Oil from BP’s damaged Macondo oil well floats on the Gulf of Mexico. MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on July 11, 2010. A particularly bright patch of oil is seen appears southeast of the Mississippi Delta, close to the location of the sunken Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Source: NASA E/O. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (4 MB, JPEG)
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Posted in Deepwater Horizon, Deepwater Horizon Oil Slick, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill satellite photo | Tagged: BP oil disaster, BP Oil Disaster Satellite Images, Macondo oil well | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on July 9, 2010
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans has ruled 2-1 against the administration’s request to stay a lower court decision that lifted the 6-month drilling m moratorium, arguing the admin had failed to demonstrate “how it would be irreparably harmed if it were not granted,” a report said.
Meanwhile, the Interior Department confirmed that it was finally getting its act together and would issue a new order on deepwater drilling below 500 feet, but failed to say when the new ban would come into effect.
“Based on what we have learned since the BP oil spill, it has become increasingly clear that companies may not have adequate containment and response capabilities to respond to a spill and therefore, as the secretary has said previously, he will be issuing a new moratorium,” Interior Department spokesperson said. More …
Related News:
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Posted in Deepwater Horizon, Deepwater Horizon Oil Slick, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf Oil Disaster | Tagged: deepwater drilling, deepwater drilling ban, deepwater drilling below 500 feet, Interior Department | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 28, 2010
Gulf of Mexico Oil Disaster. Oil from BP’s leaking Macondo oil well I seen spreading in this natural-color acquired by MODIS on NASA’s Terra on June 25, 2010. Source: NASA. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (883 KB, JPEG)
Oil from BP’s leaking Macondo well has washed ashore at Ocean Springs beaches, about 15 km (9 miles) east of Biloxi, Mississippi, and at another beach close to an inland marsh, reports say.
“We cannot clean up or catch the oil until BP gets here. They have all of our people,” said Earl Etheridge, a spokesman for Mississippi’s Department of Environmental Quality, Reuters reported.
Sanitized images and writeup are available at the following sites:
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Posted in Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill satellite photo | Tagged: BP oil disaster, BP Oil Disaster Satellite Images, Gulf Oil Disaster, Macondo oil well | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 23, 2010
The corrupt federal judge reported owning stock in numerous companies involved in the offshore oil industry including Transocean, owners of the doomed Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that was on lease to BP.
Judicial Watch has posted Feldman’s 2008 financial disclosure form online [pdf file], which shows the Ronald Reagan-appointed judge owned stock in six companies, including Transocean, that are involved in the offshore-drilling.
According to the report, Judge Feldman holds stocks or notes in Transocean, Hercules Offshore, ATP Oil and Gas, Ocean Energy, Inc., and Parker Drilling, all of which companies provide offshore drilling services and operate offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
“If some drilling equipment parts are flawed, is it rational to say all are?” he asked. “Are all airplanes a danger because one was? All oil tankers like Exxon Valdez? All trains? All mines? That sort of thinking seems heavy-handed, and rather overbearing.” The corrupt judge said.
The judge elaborated that the blanket ban on deepwater offshore drilling “seems to assume that because one rig failed and although no one yet fully knows why, all companies and rigs drilling new wells over 500 feet also universally present an imminent danger.”
“An invalid agency decision to suspend drilling of wells in the depths over 500ft simply cannot justify the immeasurable effect on the plaintiffs, the local economy, the Gulf region and the critical present-day aspect of the availability of domestic energy in this country,” Feldman added.
He didn’t comment on the facts that:
1. Deepwater drilling is a comparatively new way of extracting oil
2. All that it takes to kill an entire region if one out-of-control oil well
The suit was filed by Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC and was joined by at least than a dozen other companies involved in offshore drilling operations to lift the drilling ban imposed by the U.S. Department of Interior.
“Oil found in deep waters is needed because the world will need 45% more energy by the year 2030, BP’s chief of staff, Steve Westwell, earlier told the World National Oil Companies Congress,” a report said.
What’s left of this world would be a better place without corrupt judges and government officials.
COINCIDENTALLY, the Blog Moderators were unable to find any photo of the dastardly judge on Internet. [Readers will note why he’s so well protected!]
Related Links:
Posted in deepwater drilling, Deepwater Horizon, Deepwater Horizon Oil Slick, offshore drilling moratorium, offsore drilling | Tagged: Hercules Offshore, Judge Martin Feldman, Martin Leach-Cross Feldman, Ronald Reagan-appointed judge, Transocean | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 21, 2010
Oil leaking from BP’s Deepwater Horizon operation seen in varying shades of gray covering a vast portion of the Gulf of Mexico. MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite took this image on June 18, 2010. Source: NASA E/O. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (845 KB, JPEG)
Plaque erected in Weymouth marking the arrival of the ‘Black Death’ [plague] in England in 1348.
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Posted in Black Death, Deepwater Horizon, Deepwater Horizon Oil Slick, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill satellite photo | Tagged: BP oil leak satellite image, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf Oil Disaster, oil spill gulf of mexico 2010 MODIS, oil spill gulf of mexico 2010 satellite | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 18, 2010
Sad Images of the Day
Let the one among you lawmakers who’s NOT on a corporate payroll cast the first stone. [Original caption: BP CEO Tony Hayward testifies about the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico at the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Capitol Hill, June 17, 2010. REUTERS/Larry Downing.] Image may be subject to copyright. More images…
“Joe Barton of Texas, a major recipient of oil and gas industry campaign contributions, apologized to Hayward for BP having been pressured by the White House into setting up a $20 billion escrow account for spill damages.” Reuters reported.
“It is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown, a $20 billion shakedown,” Big Oil Barton said.
Rep. Joe Big Oil Barton can’t keep his head out of the Big Oil rupture oil wells. Photo: AP. Image may be subject to copyright.
Barton’s Forced Apology
“I apologize for using the term ‘shakedown’ with regard to yesterday’s actions at the White House in my opening statement this morning, and I retract my apology to BP.”
Isn’t it a bit too late for that, you douche bag.
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Posted in BP, BP oil disaster, BP oil spill, Deepwater Horizon, Deepwater Horizon Oil Slick | Tagged: big oil, douche bag, Rep Joe Barton, Rep. Joe Big Oil Barton, Tony Hayward | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 16, 2010
“… the battle we’re waging against an oil spill that is assaulting our shores and our citizens.” Obama said.
“And in the coming weeks and days, these efforts should capture up to 90 percent of the oil leaking out of the well. This is until the company finishes drilling a relief well later in the summer that’s expected to stop the leak completely.”
President Barack Obama addresses the nation from the Oval Office at the White House in Washington in this television frame grab June 15, 2010.
REUTERS/Reuters TV
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Posted in collapse, Collapsing Cities, deepwater drilling, Deepwater Horizon, Deepwater Horizon Oil Slick | Tagged: Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf Oil Disaster, Obama on BP Oil Spill, Obama Speech | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 15, 2010
Gulf of Mexico Oil Slick. MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image at 1:55 pm (CDT) on June 12, 2010. “Oil appears to have reached beaches and barrier islands in Alabama and the western Panhandle of Florida.” Source: NASA E/O. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (11 MB, JPEG)
Other Images:
Leaking oil and gas are seen during dispersant operations at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, in this screen grab taken from a BP live video feed June 14, 2010. BP Handout (via Reuters)
One of two, giant one-ton tarballs recovered June 11, 2010, south of Perdido Pass, Florida, June 11, 2010. US Coast Guard Handout (via Reuters)
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Posted in deepwater drilling, Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill satellite photo | Tagged: Florida Panhandle oil slick, Gulf of Mexico Oil Slick Modis, Oil Slick Planet, Perdido Pass | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on June 13, 2010
ASTER on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this false-color image of the Mississippi Delta and nearby polluted water on June 10, 2010. Vegetation is red and water appears i n shades of white and blue. Source: NASA E/O. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (3 MB, JPEG)
MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image on June 10, 2010. The oil slick appears as shades of gray. Source: NASA E/O. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (3 MB, JPEG)
Carl-Henric [happy we did it over there, not over here] Svanberg is to meet Barack [action figure] Obama and rest of the White House Action Comedy Gang. Image: AFP. Image may be subject to copyright.
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Posted in BP oil disaster, BP oil spill, Deepwater Horizon, gulf oil spill site, Mississippi Delta, offsore drilling, oil slick satellite photo | Tagged: BP, Carl-Henric Svanberg, Gulf of Mexico Satellite Images, Oil Spill Satellite Images, Tony Hayward, White House Action Comedy | 1 Comment »
Posted by feww on June 12, 2010
Images of the Week:
Original caption: U.S. President Barack Obama (C) listens during a briefing about the situation along the Gulf Coast following the BP oil spill, at the Coast Guard Venice Center, in Venice, Louisiana, in this White House handout photo taken on May 2, 2010 and released on June 7, 2010.
Smoke billows from a controlled burn of spilled oil off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico, in this handout photograph taken June 9, 2010 and released on June 11. U.S. Coast Guard Handout [via Reuters]
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Posted in BP oil disaster, BP oil spill, Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill | Tagged: Action Comedy, Voyeurs, White House, White House sitting comedy | 1 Comment »
Posted by feww on June 9, 2010
Fire Earth Estimate for the rate of crude oil and associated gas leak from the undersea ruptured wellhead into the Gulf of Mexico is based on the analysis of recent video images released by BP, which are available via Internet, and other information.
The Moderators estimate that about 69,000 barrels of crude oil and associated gas per day (BPD) are currently spewing out of the damaged wellhead. The associated error margin is ± 16%. [Updated June 13, 2010]
Worsening Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo-image acquired by (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on June 7, 2010. Source: NASA. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (12 MB, JPEG)
“[Our parents thought they had] voted in a hands-on President and all we got was a roomful of [lousy voyeurs.] Original caption: U.S. President Barack Obama (C) listens during a briefing about the situation along the Gulf Coast following the BP oil spill, at the Coast Guard Venice Center, in Venice, Louisiana, in this White House handout photo taken on May 2, 2010 and released on June 7, 2010.
A pelican sits covered with oil from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead in Barataria Bay, Louisiana just off the Gulf of Mexico, June 6, 2010. Greenpeace Handout (via Reuters).
Gas and oil continue to surge out from the containment cap at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site in the Gulf of Mexico, in this frame grab taken from a BP live video feed on June 8, 2010. BP Handout (via Reuters).
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Posted in deepwater drilling, Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill satellite photo, Gulf Oil Disaster, gulf oil spill site | Tagged: BP, Haliburton, Transocean | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on May 31, 2010
Gulf Coast communities are resentful and angry, and this is just the starters!
Image of the Day:
A roadside sign expresses the fishing communities’ take on British Petroleum (BP) and U.S. President Barrack Obama over the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, in Grand Isle, Louisiana May 30, 2010. Credit: REUTERS/Lee Celano. Image may be subject to copyright. More images…
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Posted in BP oil disaster, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf Oil Disaster, Top Kill | Tagged: Collapse Survivors, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexio | 2 Comments »
Posted by feww on May 30, 2010
But, it was a psychological game to re-establish the power domains and send a clear message as to who was actually in charge.
“We have not been able to stop the flow. We have made the decision to move on to the next option,” said Doug Suttles, BP Exploration and Productions chief operating officer in the U.S.
Image of the Day:
Redfish Bay in Louisiana’s birdsfoot delta turns black, May 27, 2010. Source: Gulf Restoration Network Handout (via Reuters).
Collapse Survivors Note:
The ultimate ethical expression would be to neutralize the politicians, industry executives and their chains of command responsible for crimes against nature. Corrective action against the wrongdoers should not be viewed as acts of “revenge,” or “punishment,” but as a necessary means of preventing repetitions of similar crimes.
Related Links
Posted in Collapse Survivors, Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexio | Tagged: BP oil disaster, Capital punishment, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill Aerial photo, Gulf Oil Disaster, Top Kill | 2 Comments »
Posted by feww on May 29, 2010
An aerial view of the marshes nearthe coast of Louisiana, May 27, 2010. Greenpeace handout (Via Reuters).
For an assessment of the role of Greenpeace in the environmental issues, and their relationship with BP search blog contents.
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Posted in Deepwater Horizon, Deepwater Horizon Oil Slick, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill | Tagged: BP oil disaster, energy dinosaurs, fossil fuels, Gulf Oil Disaster | 1 Comment »
Posted by feww on May 22, 2010
Original Caption Released with Image:
These unique images of the Deepwater Horizon oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico were obtained by the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard NASA’s Terra spacecraft on May 17, 2010, at around 16:40 UTC (11:40 a.m. CDT). The top panel is a false-color image created by combining data from the red band of the 26-degree forward-viewing camera, where the oil appears dark, with the blue and green bands of the nadir (vertical-viewing) camera, where the oil appears bright. The result causes the oil spill to stand out dramatically in shades of cyan, while other features like clouds and the land appear close to their natural color. The Mississippi Delta is visible in the upper left portion of the image. The red symbol indicates the former location of the drilling platform. The image dimensions are 346 by 258 kilometers (215 by 160 miles) and north is toward the top of the image.
The white arrow in the right-center of the image points to a plume of smoke, most likely from a controlled burn of oil collected on the surface. It appears as a dark streak against the brighter reflection of the sunlight from the ocean. The lower two panels are enlarged images of the area around the smoke plume acquired by MISR’s 46-degree forward-viewing and 46-degree backward-viewing cameras. At these view angles, and for the illumination conditions on this date, the smoke particles appear bright and sunglint from the ocean surface is much weaker. The views at the two different angles cover the same physical area of 42 by 30 kilometers (26 by 19 miles). Controlled burns of the oil began in early May in an attempt to remove oil from the open water. The clouds in the lower right quadrant of these panels have an apparent shift in position with angle of view due to their altitude above the surface. However, a bright point to the south of the plume does not show such a shift, and is likely a boat observing the controlled burn. The apparent shift in position of the smoke plume itself places its altitude at about 560 meters (1,840 feet) above the surface.
MISR was built and is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Terra spacecraft is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The MISR data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center in Hampton, Va. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology. Source: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
“Controlled burns” give the false impression that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is under control. May 19, 2010. Source: Chief Petty Officer John Kepsimelis, U.S. Coast Guard.
A dead Northern Gannet covered in oil lies along Grand Isle Beach in Grand Isle, Louisiana, May 21, 2010. Credit: REUTERS/Sean Gardner. Image may be subject to copyright. More images posted here.
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Posted in Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill satellite photo | Tagged: Gulf Oil Disaster, Gulf Oil Slick NASA MISR image, Gulf Oil Spill Nasa MISR image | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on May 15, 2010
“I don’t believe it should [result in a ban], in the same way as Apollo 13 did not stop the space program nor have serious airline accidents from time to time stopped people flying.” Mr Hayward told BBC.
Oil debris are seen attached to oyster shells on Raccoon Island shoreline, Louisiana, May 12, 2010. U.S. Navy photo
What Mr Howard didn’t say was that the explosion aboard Apollo 13 was a minor explosion, which was in no way comparable to the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
He now concedes that deep water drilling is a very risky business, however.
“I think undoubtedly that this will be a transforming event for exploration and production activities in the deep water of the world, in particular the deep water of the United States,” he said.
Meanwhile President Barrack Obama has declared that the epoch of “cozy relationship” between oil firms and US regulators is over.
“For too long, for a decade or more, there’s been a cozy relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency that permits them to drill,” Obama said.
“That cannot and will not happen anymore,” Obama added.
Well now. Let’s see. If what he says is true, that just leaves only a few more dozens of “cozy relationships” with the regulators/lawmakers: The banking and finance industry, auto industry, pharmaceuticals, nuke power, military-industrial, airlines …
The Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group, has filed a notice of intent to sue Ken Salazar the U.S. Interior Secretary, and the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) for failing to get the necessary environmental permits, required by two environmental laws, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the Endangered Species Act, before approving offshore oil operations.
Since Salazar took office in 2009, his office has approved at least 3 lease sales, more than a total of 400 seismic surveys and drilling operations without applying for the necessary environmental permits designed to protect endangered marine species, the group says.
“The Department of the Interior and the Minerals Management Service are creating a lawless zone in the Gulf of Mexico when it comes to these environmental laws. The oil companies really get to call the shots.” Miyoko Sakashita, the center’s oceans director told reporters.
“The Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act prohibit private entities, such as oil companies, as well as federal agencies, such as the Minerals Management Service — the branch of the Interior Department responsible for managing offshore oil activities — from killing, harming, or harassing marine mammals, unless they have received authorizations and take measures to minimize the impacts of their activities. The Endangered Species Act protects species such as the sperm whale, which is listed as endangered, while the Marine Mammal Protection Act applies to all marine mammals, such as the bottlenose dolphin and the Florida manatee.” The group said in their notice.
The fact remains however that there are at least 77 drilling rigs and commercially producing oil platforms operating in deep waters of Gulf of Mexico, and many more are slated to go on line.
Also, Fire-Earth Moderators forecast the probability of another major oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico between now and December 2011 at greater than 90 percent. SEE: https://feww.wordpress.com/2010/05/01/fire-earth-forecasts-10-major-oil-spills-to-end-2011/
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Posted in deepwater drilling, Deepwater Horizon, environment, gulf of mexico, gulf of mexico oil leak | Tagged: BP oil leak, Center for Biological Diversity, cozy relationship, Gulf Oil Disaster, Gulf Oil Disaster Like Apollo 13 | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on May 13, 2010
Gulf of Mexico is a natural asset, a life guarantee, but it’s being stripped of its natural services, turned into an industrial cash cow and bled to oblivion by unscrupulous money men.
It may be painful to live without too much fossil fuels, and the fattest “energy dinosaurs” would suffer most, but the price you pay for continuing on a high-energy path is much dearer—you shall all perish.
Which of the Gulf of Mexico’s Deepwater Wells Would Leak Next?
Located 150 miles (241 kilometers) southeast of New Orleans in Mississippi Canyon Block 778 in a water depth of approximately 6,050 feet (1,844 meters), the Thunder Horse platform is the world’s largest semisubmersible facility. British Petroleum received approval from the Minerals Management Service to debottleneck the topside production facilities to 275,000 barrels of oil and 220 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day. As of March 20, 2009, production was approximately 260,000 barrels of oil and 210.5 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day from seven wells. The Thunder Horse Field is the largest producer in the Gulf of Mexico. (Image courtesy of BP America Inc.). Source: DOI, MMS Report. Mississippi Canyon Block 778 could turn out to be another “Challenger” of deepwater oil production
Why are the Moderators so concerned about additional oil leaks in GOM , after all it’s not as if offshore drilling is a new trick, right?
Here are some stats from the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service (MMS), the body [that should be] responsible for offshore drilling regulations and safety enforcement [sic.] Every time the number of deepwater operations is doubled, the probability of “accidents” increases by about 4 folds.
The MMS says since the early 1990’s, leasing, drilling, and production (pumping oil from the well) has moved increasingly into deeper waters.
Gulf of Mexico – Oil and Gas Production. Between 1987 and 2007 pumping oil out of the deepwater fields increased by about 20 folds. Source: MMS. Enhanced by Fire-Earth. Click image to enlarge.
A Chilling Forecast
Based on the frequency of recent oil spills, the rate of rise in drilling deepwater wells and a number of other related factors, Fire-Earth Moderators forecast at least 10 more oil spills could occur between now and December 2011.
Five of the forecast leaks/spills could occur in and around the U.S., with at least one of them in GOM. One or more of the spills could turn out to be cataclysmic. SEE: https://feww.wordpress.com/2010/05/01/fire-earth-forecasts-10-major-oil-spills-to-end-2011/
Recurring Nightmares
Oil spills share two common features with nightmares:
“Energy Security,” Doesn’t Mean Life Security
The pink in the picture are pipelines! Does the underwater jungle of pipelines create perception of energy security or life security? Image source: MMS. Click image to enlarge.
Drill Baby, Drill in Deepwater Gulf
The federal inspectors said they completed examining 30 deepwater drilling rigs that are prospecting for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, but reported no safety problems.
“Throughout our inspections, no deepwater facilities have been shut-in due to safety concerns,” said John Romero, spokesman for Minerals Management Service (MMS), the Department of Interior branch responsible [sic] for offshore drilling safety .
Romero said that his department at MMS will soon begin inspecting 47 deepwater production platforms that are already pumping crude oil commercially.
“These inspections may take up to a month to complete,” he said.
Future is Black, Future is Sticky, Future …
What are the chances that the rigs and oil platforms in GOM continue operating without “safety problems,” for another week, month, or a year?
What happens if an earthquake strikes the region, or an underwater landslide occurs near one or more of the wells?
Do BP, MSS, NOAA or anybody else have any disaster-prevention plans to deal with earthquakes, landslide and other “unexpected” natural hazards?
NO! Of course, not.
Related Links:
— http://edro.wordpress.com/collapsing-cities/
— http://edro.wordpress.com/energy-dinosaurs/
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Posted in deepwater drilling, Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill | Tagged: BP oil spill, Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, Mississippi Canyon Block 778, Thunder Horse | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on May 12, 2010
MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite took the above image on Tuesday p.m. local time, May 11. Image shows significant amounts of oil in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the ongoing leak from the damaged Deepwater Horizon oil well. Image and caption: NASA E/O. [edited for brevity.] Click image to enlarge. Download large image (815 KB, JPEG)
Latest News Headlines:
BP is attempting to maneuver its “small top hat” containment dome over the wellhead leak on Wednesday, May 12. BP officials have no idea whether it will work.
“The ‘top hat’ was lowered to the seabed floor last night and is presently… in the immediate area of the leak and the plan is to have that positioned over the leak and functioning by the end of the week,” BP spokesperson Bryan Ferguson told AFP.
NOAA’s Magic Reduces the Oil Spill [at least diagrammatically]
While BP’s chances of stopping the leak aren’t that good right now, NOAA has managed to reduce the spill marks electronically. See image below and previous images posted.
Another euphemistic, watered-down 72-Hour Trajectory Map of the Oil Spill in the Gulf? Click image to enlarge (PDF file)
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Posted in deepwater drilling, Deepwater Horizon, environment, gulf of mexico, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill | Tagged: Gulf of Mexico Modis Image, Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak, Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak Latest Modis Image, oil leak disaster | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on May 11, 2010
BP executives and their counterparts from Transocean Ltd and Halliburton Co, will appear before Senate panels investigating the disaster. It’s not known whether DOI and MMS personnel as well as certain senators and congressmen who rubber stamped BP drilling would ever be questioned.
The session, at any rate, is expected to be highly theatrical, staged to appease the people.
A euphemistic, watered-down 72-Hour Trajectory Map of the Oil Spill in the Gulf? Is it our imagination, or NOAA making the maps look less life-threatening? Click image to enlarge.
Small “top hat”
BP says it aims to lower a small “top hat” dome, the size of an oil barrel, over the leak and siphon up the oil from the leak to a tanker 1.5km (~ 1 mile) above the sea floor. The original massive metal box, the “big top hat” was too big and that’s why it failed to work.
“There will be less seawater in the smaller dome and therefore less likelihood of hydrate formation,” BP CEO, Tony Hayward, told reporters at in Houston.
Fire-Earth says unless the “top hat” can couple [leech] onto the point(s) at which the leaks are occurring , so as to prevent any build up of crystallized gas hydrates in the vicinity, it’s unlikely to work, and could run into all kinds of additional complication.
In other words, for any “solution” to work, it should be able to siphon up more than 95 percent of the oil that is being leaked, or it’s unlikely to succeed.
Pointing the Finger of blame
A BP executive is blaming Transocean for the blowout because the blowout preventer, designed to prevent the an oil leak, failed to work.
Transocean in turn is blaming Haliburton, a third company involved. It says the blowout preventer did not cause the leak, but two other failures occurred, the well’s cover and the cement that was used to seal it.
Halliburton had reportedly finished cementing the well-cover less than a day before the explosion occurred, which also killed 11 people, the said BP executives says in a written testimony to the Senate investigating panel.
What about other deepwater drilling in the Gulf?
Meanwhile federal inspectors completed examining 30 deepwater drilling rigs prospecting for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, but reported no safety problems, Reuters said.
“Throughout our inspections, no deepwater facilities have been shut-in due to safety concerns,” said John Romero, spokesman for Minerals Management Service (MMS), the Department of Interior branch responsible [sic] for offshore drilling safety .
Romero told Reuters that his department at MMS will soon begin inspecting 47 deepwater production platforms that are already pumping crude oil commercially.
“These inspections may take up to a month to complete,” he said.
Dispersant Sink
There’s now nearly as much dispersant sprayed over the Gulf of Mexico as that awful orange-colored fire retardant chemical over the state of California. The problem is the dispersant used in the Gulf is even deadlier than the fire-retardant.
A U.S. Air Force chemical dispersing C-130 aircraft drops an oil dispersing chemical into the Gulf of Mexico as part of the Deepwater Horizon Response effort, May 5, 2010. U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Adrian Cadiz.
Recent Documents
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Posted in Deepwater Horizon, environment, gulf of mexico, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill | Tagged: BP oil spill, gulf oil spill, Haliburton, oil spill disaster, Transocean | 3 Comments »
Posted by feww on May 9, 2010
BP, has encountered problems with the containment dome while trying to place it on the ruptured wellhead.
BP’s Exploration and Production CEO, Doug Suttles, said the 98-ton steel-and-concrete dome developed a problem [they hadn’t thought about,] forcing the technicians to remove the box as gas hydrates, ice-like crystals, began accumulating inside it clogging its opening.
Gas hydrates are formed when gas and water mix at low temperature and under high pressure on the sea floor. [The ruptured wellhead is located about 1.5km (5,000) feet under water.]
“I wouldn’t say it has failed yet,” said Doug Suttles. “What I would say is what we attempted to do last night didn’t work.”
Meanwhile, the damaged well continues to spew a minimum of 5,000 barrels, possibly up to 25,000 barrels, of crude oil into the Gulf each and every day.
The question many are asking is, what if the spill goes on for any length of time?
FIRE-Earth and EDRO Moderators believe the devastation would be apocalyptic in scale. Below is a brief summary of multiple disasters that you should expect:
Water Quality
The quality of seawater in the Gulf of Mexico would deteriorate rapidly. It would become the most polluted water body in the world in a very short time. The Gulf would become a dead zone, permanently.
Food Production
Most of the marine creatures in the Gulf of Mexico will perish. Any species that might evade death, would be too contaminated for human or animal consumption.
Air Quality
The air quality in the region would worsen dramatically, turning the Gulf states into one of the most polluted regions in the world.
Temperatures
The average temperatures in the region would rise rapidly by 3ºC to as much as 8ºC depending on a number of additional factors.
Life Expectancy
Many people would perish as a result of the pollution caused by the oil leak. Many babies would be born with severe respiratory depression or other serious deformities.
Regional Collapse
Collapse of the Gulf states will begin, as most of the population move away from the Gulf heading in all directions. Civil conflict would erupt.
Collapse of the U.S., Canada and Mexico
The collapse of Gulf states, and other areas on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, would result in large numbers of people moving north and into Canada, with others moving southwest and into Mexico. The next phase in the regional collapse of NAFTA countries, an irreversible downward spiral, would follow.
The Time Scale
Your world could disappear as fast as a flash of lightning!
Recent News Releases:
Tar balls found on Dauphin Island beach. Shoreline assessment teams recovered tar balls Saturday from the beach on Dauphin Island, Ala. The tar balls, ranging in size from dimes to golf balls, were recovered and sent to a lab for further analysis. Deepwater Horizon Response
Press Release: Stop Flights Over Wildlife Refuge. Due to heightened interest in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, media aircraft have been conducting low flights and landings on Breton National Wildlife Refuge’s Chandeleur Islands. These flights and landings threaten the very birds that the media are covering and that the public is concerned about. Federal regulation prohibits flights and landings that disturb wildlife on refuges.
Trajectory Forecast – Mississippi Canyon 252
NOAA/NOS/OR&R Estimate for: 0600 CDT, Tuesday, 5/11/10
Date Prepared: 1200 CDT, Saturday, 5/08/10
This forecast is based on the NWS spot forecast from Saturday, May 8 AM. Currents were obtained from the NOAA Gulf of Mexico, West Florida Shelf/USF, Texas A&M/TGLO, NAVO/NRL models, and HFR measurements. The model was initialized from satellite imagery, analysis provided by NOAA/NESDIS obtained Saturday morning, and Saturday AM overflight observations. The leading edge may contain tarballs that are not readily observable from the imagery (hence not included in the model initialization). NOAA is a U.S. Govt agency and its image and news products are NOT copyrighted. Click image to enlarge.
Oil Leak Forecast
On May 1, 2010, Fire-Earth forecast at least 10 more major oil spills worldwide between May 2010 and December 2011, with the probability of 5 of those events occurring in and around America.
Click image to enlarge. Eighteen days after the Deepwater Horizon accident, an oil slick lingered in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on May 8, 2010. Oil is discernible in two areas—a serpentine slick near the Mississippi Delta, and a large round slick south of the Mississippi-Alabama border. Image and caption: NASA E/O. [Edited by Fire-Earth for brevity.] Download large image (823 KB, JPEG).
Florida Class Action Filed in BP Oil Spill Disaster
Gulf Actions Spill Counsel (GASP), a national team of attorneys, allege multiple failures by BP, Halliburton and other Defendants in their lawsuit filed Friday. Similar lawsuits are planned for Texas, Alabama and Mississippi, as the devastation from the oil rig disaster continues to grow.
“Oil continues to flow into the gulf, and with it an environmental nightmare,” said Dr. Howard, who most recently played a leading role in coordinating a national team of more than 40 law firms in the Toyota sudden acceleration lawsuits. “This unmitigated horror threatens to destroy one of the most beautiful marine, coastal and estuarine environments in the world.”
Castro Angle
Fidel Castro, Former Cuban leader, called the ecological disaster caused by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico a testament to how powerless the governments are against the multinational corporations.
“The ecological disaster which occurred in the Gulf of Mexico shows how little governments can do against those who control financial capital,” Castro said in his article published by Cuban media. “The hateful tyranny imposed on the world.”
Castro said the US and European and multinationals are the powers “who decide the fate of peoples [through] the economy in our globalized world.”
Although President Obama is not responsible for the “current threats to the survival of the human being imposed on the world by imperialism, [he] ignores reality and cannot or does not want to deal with real issues. He lives in a dream world,” Castro said.
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Posted in Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill satellite photo, Gulf of Mexio | Tagged: Collapse of Canada, Collapse of Gulf states, Collapse of the U.S., fidel castro, gulf oil spill | 2 Comments »
Posted by feww on May 2, 2010
Image of the Day:
“There’s enough oil out there that it is logical to think it will hit the shoreline. It’s just a question of where and when. Mother Nature gets a vote in this.” U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said.
A Northern Gannet bird is covered in oil, from a massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico, at a Clean Gulf Associates Mobile Wildlife Rehabilitation station in Fort Jackson, Louisiana April 30, 2010. Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Barria. Image may be subject to copyright.
Latest Development, News and Quotes:
NOAA Forecast of the Oil Spill for May 2, 2010. Click Image to enlarge.
NOAA Forecast of the Oil Spill for May 3, 2010. Click Image to enlarge.
Unified Command releases an image showing booming locations as of May 1, 2010. Creative Commons License. Click image to enlarge.
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Serial No 1,657. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).
Posted in Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Northern Gannet | Tagged: BP oil spill, BP PLC, gulf oil spill, oil leakin louisiana, US oil spill | 5 Comments »
Posted by feww on May 1, 2010
Image of the Day:
Freeze frame from a Reuters news video. Feel free to print the photo and send as postcard to the BP CEO:
Tony Hayward, CEO
BP Plc
International Headquarters
1 St James’s Square
London, SW1Y 4PD
UK
Feel free also to use strong language to describe your emotions to Mr Hayward …
Don’t forget to send copies of the photo to those of the lawmakers who pandered to the wishes of the Oil Lobby, allowing their clients to operate without an essential safety feature, a sonar device that is deployed at drilling cites as a last resort to shut down the flow of oil from an underwater well. While the law in Brazil and Norway requires oil companies to deploy such devices near the oil well; the law in the US does not require oil companies to operate one.
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Serial No 1,656. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).
Posted in Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexio, Oil Disasters | Tagged: BP oil leak, BP oil spill, BP PLC, Louisiana coastline, louisiana sunset, Tony Hayward | Leave a Comment »
Posted by feww on May 1, 2010
Let us be clear, Mr President: Has it ever occurred to you that the people who are ‘securing’ our energy are cheats, liars and corporate profiteers?
The oil well 41 miles offshore is leaking an estimated 5,000 barrels (about 210,000 gallons, or 795,000 liters) of crude oil per day, into the gulf, according to the officials.
Fire Earth estimate is closer to 8,000bpd because that’s how much oil the well was producing before the blow-out.
Waves deposit oil on Louisiana beaches, unimpressed by booms deployed along the coastline, Thursday, April 29. The underwater well about 41 miles SE of Louisiana was damaged after a blowout which caused its drilling platform, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, to explode, burn out and sink. Photo Credit: Liz Condo/Ap. Image may be subject to copyright.
It would take about 2 to 3 months to drill a relief well that would allow plugging the damaged well on the sea floor which is gushing crude some 1.5 km (5,000 feet) below the surface. All activities at that depth can only be performed by remote control devices.
It has been revealed that British Petroleum downplayed the probability of a blow-out at the leaking well which caused the offshore rig Deepwater Horizon to explode, leaking what is by now at least 2.3 million [Fire-Earth estimate] gallons of crude oil in to the Gulf.
In its environmental impact analysis, BP repeatedly suggested that it was virtually impossible for an accident to occur that would be serious enough to damage the coastal areas or harm the marine species mammals and fisheries.
Worse than that, the BP’s plan for the Deepwater Horizon well was approved by the federal Minerals Management Service. The plan which was filed in February 2009, repeatedly states that it would be “unlikely that an accidental surface or subsurface oil spill would occur from the proposed activities.”
Where the company conceded that a spill might “cause impacts” to the coastal areas, marine animals and wildlife refuges, it down plays the impact saying, “due to the distance to shore (41 miles) and the response capabilities that would be implemented, no significant adverse impacts are expected.”
“Clearly, the sort of occurrence that we’ve seen on the Deepwater Horizon is clearly unprecedented,” BP spokesman David Nicholas told The Associated Press on Friday. “It’s something that we have not experienced before … a blowout at this depth.”
How can BP, the oil behemoth with 101 years of drilling experience in every nook and cranny in the world, cite this level of ignorance as a credible excuse?
What about the Minerals Management Service? Surely, they should have been aware of the blowouts in the Gulf.
“According to a 2007 study by the federal Minerals Management Service, which examined the 39 rig blowouts in the Gulf of Mexico between 1992 and 2006, cementing was a contributing factor in 18 of the incidents. In all the cases, gas seepage occurred during or after cementing of the well casing, the MMS said.” AP reported.
Perhaps an MMS spokesman could clarify this: Why in the Gulf did they allow BP to go ahead and drill the well without a control plan, and in the absence of safety checks and emergency procedures?
More Terrifying Stats and Findings :
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What Others Say [FEWW Selection]
Serial No 1,653. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).
Posted in Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexio, Minerals Management Service | Tagged: blowouts in the Gulf, BP, BP environmental impact analysis, John Maynard Keynes, Obama's energy security | 9 Comments »
Posted by feww on May 1, 2010
[NOTE: Each of the forecast leaks/spills would probably involve more than one oil company, due to the makeup of their contracts. However, the major parties involved would be Exxon (1-2 incidents), BP (1-2), chevron (1) others (1).]
Variables used in the calculations:
A Representative List of Recent Oil Spills:
More Links to Recent Oil Disasters
Serial No 1,652. Starting April 2010, each entry on this blog has a unique serial number. If any of the numbers are missing, it may mean that the corresponding entry has been blocked by Google/the authorities in your country. Please drop us a line if you detect any anomaly/missing number(s).
Posted in Deepwater Horizon, environment, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexio | Tagged: Cataclysmic Oil Spill, exxon valdez oil spill, offshore Drilling, oil drilling, oil leak | 6 Comments »
Fire Earth 
