Moving America’s Oil [One Way or Another]

 Breached pipeline spills about 50,000 gallons of oil into Yellowstone River

An oil pipeline breach has spilled about 50,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River about 9 miles upriver from Glendive, Montana, said state officials.

Some of the oil did enter the water, said a spokesman for Gov. Bullock.

Bridger Pipeline Co. said that they have shut down the 12-inch-wide pipeline, calling the breach an “unfortunate incident.”

The incident was a Déjà vu of 2011 ExxonMobil 12-inch Silvertip pipeline rupture breach near Laurel, when more than 60,000 gallons of oil contaminated an 85-mile stretch of riverbank.

BP Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico

Judge Carl Barbier ruled Thursday that the fines for the 2010 BP massive oil spill were excessive, imposing a maximum ceiling of $13.7 billion, significantly lower than the $18 billion fine sought by prosecutors.

Related Links

• ExxonMobil pipeline leak into Yellowstone River forces evacuations Posted on July 3, 2011
• Exxon Pays Peanuts to the Monkeys Posted on August 14, 2009
• Exxon Mobile Court Orders Only Fraction of Damages Posted on June 16, 2009

FIRE halts BP oil production at Valhall platform, North Sea

Valhall oil platform evacuated, production suspended indefinitely

The fire, which started in a compressor on the platform at 15:00UTC, forced BP to evacuated 638 workers and shut down the platform, according to NRK, the Norwegian state broadcaster.

“No persons are injured and no one is missing,” BP spokesman Jan Erik Geirmo told NRK. “We see this as a serious incident.”

“How it was ignited, we have no idea,” he said. “If any place should burn, it was one of the best places for it to happen. It had no big potential to escalate. But a fire is a fire.”

Valhall oil field is located at a depth of about 70 meters in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea some  290 km (180 miles) off southern Norway. Discovered in 1975, the oil field became operational in 1982.

Valhall has a total production capacity of about 180,000 bpd, however it was only producing about  42,000 bpd before the fire because, according to BP, the platform was old.

Hess, a New-York listed company is the majority owner of Valhall oil field with a 64 percent share, with  operator BP holding 36 percent.

Valhall Oil Platform Complex. Source BP. Click image to enlarge.

Related Links

• Disasters Caused by Oil and Gas Drilling, Oil Spills, Leaks, Polluting Land, Water and Air

The Day Gulf of Mexico Was Mortally Wounded

How Energy Industry Sickened the Planet

On the First Anniversary of the BP Assault on America

‘State of the art,’ semisubmersible Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig on Fire, April 20, 2010 at approximately 10:00 p.m. central time. Photo: Scott Lloyd/United States Coast Guard.

A year ago today the infamous Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded killing 11 workers, injuring 17 others, 3 of them critically, spilling at least 205.8 million gallons of crude oil into Gulf of Mexico, and destroying its fragile ecosystems.

BP also dumped about 2 million gallons of dispersant in the Gulf.

Today, dead baby dolphins, dead sea turtles, dead birds and other dead marine animals, tarballs and sticky substance are still washed ashore.

Designer Red Snapper

Red Snapper fished in Gulf of Mexico. “The fish have a bacterial infection and a parasite infection that’s consistent with a compromised immune system,” said Jim Cowan, an oceanographer at Louisiana State University, who has been examining them. “There’s no doubt it’s associated with a chronic exposure to a toxin.” Courtesy of Jim Cowan, Louisiana State University/via tampabay-dot-com]

Who’s Dr Robichaux

Dr. Michael Robichaux, who practices medicine in coastal Louisiana, “says the blood of Gulf residents who were tested showed 35 times more ethyl benzene, a highly toxic oil component. The health risk could be compounded by toxic poisoning from the chemical dispersants sprayed on the oil slicks, he adds,” Public News Service reported.

One year after the Deepwater Horizon disaster

“One year after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Gulf Coast residents are reporting a litany of debilitating illnesses, including tumors, anemia, brain lesions, tremors and seizures – but it’s not getting much attention from the media, and many doctors don’t seem to know how to deal with it.” More …

Death Toll from BP Spill Still Rising as Residents Die from Spill-Related Illnesses

Searching for treatment, the symptoms rage on

The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spills will never be the same!

Oil leak from Deepwater Horizon covers the Mississippi Delta. Image taken by MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite on May 24, 2010.

Related Links

• Disasters Caused by Oil and Gas Drilling, Oil Spills, Leaks, Polluting Land, Water and Air
• One Year Later, Did Gulf Oil Spill Hurt People? 
•  http://BPdrillingdisaster.org

• 1 year memorial trip to Bay Jimmy: BP Drilling Disaster
• BP says it’s not responsible for paying to reseed oyster beds

• Hundreds of Days, Thousands of Questions, Millions of Gallons later

Last Updated: April 21, 2011 at 00:35UTC

Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak – Update Apr 27

Mississippi Canyon Block 252 Oil Well Still Leaking Heavily

On April 24, Fire-Earth Moderators said: “… oil wells gushing at a rate of 8,000 barrels per day don’t heal automatically after a fire.”

BP Map of northern section of Gulf of Mexico. Approximate location of the oil slick marked by Fire-Earth. Click image to enlarge.

Facts, Near Facts, Diluted Facts …

• The sunken Deepwater Horizon [Deepwater Deadzone?] oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico about 66 kilometers (41 miles) off the coast of Louisiana is leaking crude oil at a rate of about 1,000 barrels per day.

• BP is fully responsible for the massive mess.

• BP, the leaseholders of both the well and the drilling platform, or other sources involved in the “clean-up” operation, were quoted as saying two days ago that the well could be capped within “two to three days). These are probably the same people who declared on April 23 that the well posed “no threat” of leaking.

• On April 24, Fire-Earth Moderators said: “… oil wells gushing at a rate of 8,000 barrels per day don’t heal automatically after a fire.”

• “Right now, we are focusing on securing the well,” said Admiral Landry in Charge of the regional Coast Guard. “But absolutely, we are monitoring 24/7 to make sure there is no additional leak beyond the 1,000 barrels a day.”

• “The safety of the people working offshore is our top priority and the improved weather has created better conditions for our response,” said BP Group Chief Executive Tony Hayward. “This, combined with the light, thin oil we are dealing with has further increased our confidence that we can tackle this spill offshore.”

• BP CEO for Exploration and Production Doug Suttles told reporters that his company was trying hard to determine what caused the explosion that lead the sinking of Deepwater Horizon, and the ongoing leak.

• BP plc is a  the third largest multinational energy company and the 4th largest corporation in the world.

• “We are also working with industry experts to devise and deploy a method to collect the oil close to the sea bed to minimize spill impacts,” said Doug Suttles.

• The perfidious oil Goliath has been operating for 101 years, and still can’t suck an egg?

• The overall size of the leak is about 50km (32 mile) by 50km.

• The areas of emulsified crude oil are located about 38 miles offshore.

Oil Leak from Damaged Well in Gulf of Mexico

Download large image (2 MB, JPEG) –  acquired April 25, 2010

Download large image (4 MB, JPEG)  – The above images of the affected area were captured on April 25 by MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite (top, wider view) and the ALI on NASA’s Earth EO-1 satellite (bottom, close up). In the top image, the Mississippi Delta is at image center, and the oil slick is a silvery swirl to the right. The oil slick may be particularly obvious because it is occurring in the sunglint area, where the mirror-like reflection of the Sun off the water gives the Gulf of Mexico a washed-out look. The close-up view shows waves on the water surface as well as ships, presumably involved in the clean up and control activities. [Note the oil spill is now larger by at least 2,500 barrels since the above images were acquired.] Image and caption: NASA [Edited for brevity by Fire-Earth.]

Current location of oil sheen according to Unified command graphic (DATE: April 26, 2010 18:34:16 EST)

• Click here for the largest image released

Related Links:

• Louisiana Coast Oil Leak Disaster Underway

• Gulf Sunken Rig: No Major Spill Yet—Reports
• Deepwater Horizon Still Burning – UPDATE
• Offshore Oil Rig Explodes
• Disasters Caused by Oil and gas Drilling, Oil Spills, Leaks, Land, Water and Air Pollution
• Want a Mandate to Kill Life on the Planet?

• Chevron-BP Pipeline leaks Oil into Louisiana Wildlife Refuge
• Oil Refinery Explodes in Washington State
• Obama: A Serious Self-Hater

• NASA Satellite Images (disappointing, as usual, but meant as a record)

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Louisiana Coast Oil Leak Disaster Underway

Offshore Louisiana Well: “very serious spill”

Oil Well Beneath Sunken Deepwater Horizon Leaking 1,000 BPD

We thought it was a fairy tale as far as the capping of the well story went …

The oil well that was being pumped out by the doomed Deepwater Horizon oil rig is spewing crude oil at a rate of 1,000 barrels per day (bpd),  the U.S. Coast Guard said on Saturday.

[Note: 1,000 barrels = 42,000 US gallons, or ~ 160,000 liters]

The well, located on the ocean floor, some 1,500m (~5,000 feet) beneath the ocean surface,  is causing what the Coast Guard called a “very serious spill.”

A Coast Guard spokeswoman said a  remote-controlled submarine detected oil leaking from both the riser and drill pipe.

“We are classifying this as a very serious spill and we are using all our resources to help contain it,” the Coast Guard Petty Officer Connie Terrell said.

The ill-fated Deepwater Horizon, owned by Transocean Ltd and operated by the oil Goliath BP, sank on Thursday. The rig had been burning for two days after exploding  at about 10 p.m. CDT on Tuesday (02:00UTC Wednesday), about 66km (~ 41 miles) off the Louisiana.

The search for 11 crew members was abandoned on Friday. Four of the 17 crew members who were injured were said to be in critical condition.

As of Sunday an oil slick measuring about 1,600 square kilometers (~ 600 square miles), covered an area close to the US coast line. The slick is spreading north moving toward Mississippi and Alabama coastline, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.

On Saturday Fire-Earth Moderators said: “This situation, of course, could change because oil wells gushing at a rate of 8,000 barrels per day don’t heal automatically after a fire.”

Related Links:

• Gulf Sunken Rig: No Major Spill Yet—Reports
• Deepwater Horizon Still Burning – UPDATE
• Offshore Oil Rig Explodes
• Disasters Caused by Oil and gas Drilling, Oil Spills, Leaks, Land, Water and Air Pollution
• Want a Mandate to Kill Life on the Planet?

• Chevron-BP Pipeline leaks Oil into Louisiana Wildlife Refuge
• Oil Refinery Explodes in Washington State
• Obama: A Serious Self-Hater

• NASA Satellite Images (disappointing, as usual, but meant as a record)

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Deepwater Horizon Sinks

Major Environmental Disaster Looms!

The oil well may be bleeding more than 8,000 barrels of crude oil into the Gulf each day

After burning for 36 hours, Deepwater Horizon, a semisubmersible oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico finally sinks, threatening to cause a major oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

”It certainly has the potential to be a major spill,” said David Rainey, a vice-president of BP Gulf of Mexico exploration, the company that was leasing the rig.

The state-of-the-art Korean-built offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon finally sank. Photo Credit: The US Coast Guard.

The state-of-the-art oil platform on lease to BP, was carrying out exploratory drilling about 66km (41  miles) southeast of Venice, Louisiana.

The US Coast Guard said the rig may be leaking more than 8,000 barrels (342,000 gallons) of crude oil per day.

There’s no sign of the 11 missing crew members, despite frantic air and sea rescue efforts. An employee of Transocean, the company who owns the rig, said the initial blast may have killed the 11.

Four of the 17 crew members who were injured are said to be in critical condition.

Oil Rig Spec

The ‘state-of-the-art’ oil platform owned by Transocean was built in South Korea in 2001. Measuring about 121 x 78 meters (41m deep), it was designed to operate in water to the depth of about 2,440 meters  ( 8,000 feet), drilling  9,144 meters deep. The rig was a semisubmersible platform which accommodated a crew of 130.

News Release: Transocean Ltd. Provides Update on Semisubmersible Drilling Rig Deepwater Horizon

ZUG, SWITZERLAND, Apr 22, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) (SIX: RIGN) provided an update today regarding a fire and explosion onboard its semisubmersible drilling rig Deepwater Horizon and reports that the rig sank late in the morning, today. The combined response team was not able to stem the flow of hydrocarbons prior to the rig sinking, and we are working closely with BP Exploration & Production, Inc. and the U.S. Coast Guard to determine the impact from the sinking of the rig and the plans going forward. The U.S. Coast Guard has plans in place to mitigate any environmental impact from this situation.

The incident occurred April 20, 2010 at approximately 10:00 p.m. Central Time in the United States Gulf of Mexico. The rig was located approximately 41 miles offshore Louisiana on Mississippi Canyon block 252.

The cause of the fire and explosion is unknown at this time. An investigation into the cause of the incident and assessment of the damage will be ongoing in the days or weeks to come.

Statements regarding any future aspect of the incident on the Deepwater Horizon, the effects, results, investigation, damage assessment relating thereto mitigation of environmental impact, as well as any other statements that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These include but are not limited to results of searches, investigations and assessments, actions by the Coast Guard and other governmental agencies, actions by customers and other third parties and other factors detailed in Transocean’s most recent Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available free of charge on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated.

Transocean is the world’s largest offshore drilling contractor and the leading provider of drilling management services worldwide. With a fleet of 139 mobile offshore drilling units plus three ultra-deepwater units under construction, the company’s fleet is considered one of the most modern and versatile in the world due to its emphasis on technically demanding segments of the offshore drilling business. Its worldwide fleet is more than twice the size of the next-largest competitor. The company owns or operates a contract drilling fleet of 45 High-Specification Floaters (Ultra-Deepwater, Deepwater and Harsh-Environment semisubmersibles and drillships), 26 Midwater Floaters, 10 High-Specification Jackups, 55 Standard Jackups and other assets utilized in the support of offshore drilling activities worldwide.  For more information about Transocean, please visit our website at http://www.deepwater.com.

SOURCE: Transocean Ltd.

Related Links:

• Deepwater Horizon Still Burning – UPDATE
• Offshore Oil Rig Explodes
• Disasters Caused by Oil and gas Drilling, Oil Spills, Leaks, Land, Water and Air Pollution
• Want a Mandate to Kill Life on the Planet?
• Chevron-BP Pipeline leaks Oil into Louisiana Wildlife Refuge
• Oil Refinery Explodes in Washington State
• Obama: A Serious Self-Hater

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Deepwater Horizon Still Burning – UPDATE

Image of the Day:

BP-Operated Oil Rig Still Ablaze 2 Days after Exploding

The explosion occurred on Deepwater Horizon, a BP-operated offshore oil-drilling platform 66km (41 miles) southeast of Venice, Louisiana, at about 10 p.m. (ET) Tuesday.

Fire boat response crews fight the massive blaze that destroyed the huge offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon, Wednesday April 21, 2010. The platform was still burning early Thursday. Photo Credit: US Coast Guard.

Seventeen people were injured, 4 of them critically, as a result of the explosion that set the oil rig ablaze, sources said. Eleven others are missing, the worst may be presumed.

The ‘state-of-the-art’ oil platform owned by Transocean was built in South Korea in 2001. Measuring about 121 x 78 meters (41m deep), it was designed to operate in water to the depth of about 2,440 meters  ( 8,000 feet), drilling  9,144 meters deep. The rig was a semisubmersible platform which accommodated a crew of 130.

Some 858 fires and explosions have occurred in the Gulf of Mexico since 2001, resulting in 69 offshore deaths and 1,349 injuries, the federal Minerals Management Service said.

Related Links:

• Offshore Oil Rig Explodes
• Disasters Caused by Oil and gas Drilling, Oil Spills, Leaks, Land, Water and Air Pollution
• Want a Mandate to Kill Life on the Planet?
• Chevron-BP Pipeline leaks Oil into Louisiana Wildlife Refuge
• Oil Refinery Explodes in Washington State
• Obama: A Serious Self-Hater

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