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Deepwater Horizon Explosion and Fire Resulting in Multiple Fatalities and Release of Oil |
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Country: USA - North America | ||
Location: OFFSHORE | ||
Incident Date: 20 April 2010 Time: --- | ||
Type of Activity: Drilling, workover, well services | ||
Cause: --- | ||
Function: Drilling | ||
What happened?:
On April 20, 2010, a loss of well control occurred and resulted in an explosion and fire on the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Deepwater Horizon. Eleven lives were lost in this incident and the MODU subsequently sank. As of the date of this safety alert the well has not been secured, and the resulting release of oil has been declared a spill of national significance with oil threatening sensitive coastlines and resources in the Gulf of Mexico. | ||
What Went Wrong?:
At the time of the accident, the Deepwater Horizon was operating 52 miles from shore in 4,992 feet of water with a subsea BOP stack. After the Deepwater Horizon sank, ROV's confirmed that the riser was bent over and still attached to the BOP and that oil is flowing from leaks in the riser above the BOP. Numerous attempts to actuate the BOP have failed. | ||
Corrective Actions and Recommendations:
While the exact causes of this event are now under investigation, the tragic nature of this accident compels operators and drilling contractors to inspect their drilling equipment and review their procedures to ensure the safety of personnel and protection of the environment. Therefore, MMS and the USCG issue the following safety recommendations to operators and drilling contractors:
Both MMS and the USCG are conducting a joint investigation of the Deepwater Horizon accident. The findings and lessons learned will be documented in a report that will be made public as soon as possible. | ||
Safety Alert number: 220
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