[QUOTE=cmjeff;36909]I call BS on this. Thad is doing a fine job… his only problem is that he, like the rest of the USCG, doesn’t know much about deepwater ops, he should have an MMS person standing next to him. The last thing we need is an army type that knows nothing about drilling [B]and[/B] nothing about ships.
I’ll tell you two other people that are over their head but doing a fine job, mostly because they both admit they are over their heads. The first is Kevin Costner, everything I hear from the TOI and CG guys say he’s got our best interests in mind. The other is James Cameron. YES, you heard me. Have you read Cameron’s proposal? Well here it is, READ IT:
http://www.whoi.edu/fileserver.do?id=64023&pt=10&p=43992[/QUOTE]
The closer to the source then the more concentrated the oil will be in a smaller area. The Cameron report mentions AUV’s and manned subs for future development, so, though I’m over my head by about 2,000’ or so, I’ll mention again building submarine free water knockouts. The Coast Guard Academy and the USN sub base is only a few miles up river from where they would build these knockouts at Electric Boat where they already have designs on a submarine tanker that could be modified to be a free water knockout.
The oil industry people here have thought this to be unpractical, but maybe mariners have a different perspective. This concept occurred to me in the wake of DWH from a wide conglomeration of experience of abandoning an 86’ steel hull lobster boat in 15’ waves that sank 15 minutes later in 200’ of water 30 miles offshore, being in several oil well blowouts, having had neighbors and friends who build and design subs, having built free water knockouts, having worked with and around 20k wellheads and processing equipment, having been able to survive self-employed for 30 years being innovative.
My thinking is that with enough time, technology will solve problems. But we may have alternative energy sources before we explore the deep trenches.