The EDS buttons are on the BOP panel on the Floor and on the Bridge. There are none in the OIM’s or Toolpusher’s office. On the Horizon the OIM and Sr. Toolpusher position in an emergency is on the Bridge, while the on-tour toolpusher is on the Floor, and the off-tour toolpusher assists the Chief Mate on scene. I understand (but I don’t know) that they initiated an EDS from the Bridge and it didn’t work.
[/QUOTE]
Please do not blast me. . .i am not on a rig. . never been on a rig. . don’t want to be on a rig. . .but this is a true statement Orniphobe. There were several attempts from the Bridge to disconnect . . .there was no power to be found anywhere aboard the rig. Alt Gen’s were attempted, Panels were froze and not giving accurate data, there was several attempts to disconnect and all failed leaving the last step to saves their lives and adandon ship.
I just ask everyone continue to pray for the families. I am very close to one of them. . . it has been an extremely difficult week and will continue to be for a long time. None of us in here giving opinions, advice, expertise, or speculations will ever know, only the surviving 115. Only they know the sounds, the horror, taste, heat, smells, sights, and fears they felt. It’s just like Katrina. . . I live it. . I was in the middle of it. . it devasted us. . . and no one that was not here. . .no matter how many photos they have seen. . will ever understand what we have been thru. . . same goes for this crew. Please keep things respectful and try to understand none of us will ever know. . . none of us have ever been there. . . it’s easy to discuss the should’ve, would’ve, could’ves and act like one would be a hero or do it better. . . but none of us know!
Excuse me if I step on any toes, but why is the DeepWater Horizon tragedy so opaque. I find it hard to believe that so many people died and the 115 survivors have nothing to say. It is quite different than the recent coal mine tragedy in West Virginia where survivors and victims’ family members talked to the press. Is there some reason we aren’t hearing of event specifics? Very troubling!
[QUOTE=richard8000milesaway;31784]The NY Times reports that the original incident @ 2200 hours occured during a shift change. can anyone confirm this, as to me it sounds odd.
In my (extensive) maritime O&G experience we had shift changes at “the 6’s and the 12’s”; in any event I’m trying to relive these moments in my mind to analyize the scenario.
thanks, and again, best wishes to all involved in this tragedy.[/QUOTE]
Pre-tour meeting on there was at 2300. Most of the crew would have been up having supper by 2230.
[QUOTE=Dewey;31797]Excuse me if I step on any toes, but why is the DeepWater Horizon tragedy so opaque. I find it hard to believe that so many people died and the 115 survivors have nothing to say. It is quite different than the recent coal mine tragedy in West Virginia where survivors and victims’ family members talked to the press. Is there some reason we aren’t hearing of event specifics? Very troubling![/QUOTE]
I can give you 2 reasons. . . considering it’s still under investigation. . . many were asked to not speak to the press and #2 others are simply not ready. . . in time i am sure you will be able to read the details. I know for a fact my close friend that was on the rig, is not ready and is just simply enjoying his time with his family. . .
Not sure how much more we’ll be in contact in this thread so I wanted to get this entered: For any mariners responding to distress calls in circumstances such as this, it’s a good idea to stop - look - listen - before approaching too close. In this specific case, the venting hydrocarbons were ablaze, but in some cases there is no fire, just an uncontrolled flow. The presence of high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide gas is always a consideration, even with oil blowouts as there is often a gas component to the reservoir fluid.
Sad stories exist - the Hasbah-6 blowout in the Persian Gulf back in the early '80s, where much of the crew abandoned the platform for the sea only to be asphyxiated by H2S, which is heavier than air and settled on the water around them.
If personnel can be seen moving, or are communicative, or the whole thing has gone cigarette lighter, you’re probably OK but a whiff of sulfide should be a strong warning. The bad part is that as the concentrations get higher, your ability to smell it diminishes. And air-breathing combustion devices stop working. Appropriate personal protective gear and good communication is necessary in such circumstances.
Baku – APA. The head of BP Groups says last week’s deadly rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico could have been prevented, and he is focusing blame on rig owner Transocean Ltd, APA reports quoting CNN.
CEO Tony Hayward said Transocean’s “blowout preventer” failed to operate before the explosion. A blowout preventer is a large valve at the top of a well, and activating it will stop the flow of oil. The valve may be closed during drilling if underground pressure drives up oil or natural gas, threatening the rig.
“That is the ultimate fail-safe mechanism,” Hayward said. "And for whatever reason – and we don’t understand that yet, but we clearly will as a consequence of both our investigation and federal investigations – it failed to operate.
“And that is the key issue here, the failure of the Transocean [blowout preventer],” Hayward said, describing the valve as “an integral part of the drilling rig,” which is operated by Transocean.
The Memorial Service of Karl Kleppinger, Jr. will be held on Monday, May 3rd, 2010 at 2:00 pm c.s.t. at Highland Baptist Church, 319 Highland Blvd, Natchez, Mississippi 39120.
Karl’s family has asked me to express their sincere gratitude and appreciation for all the prayers and concern that has been demonstrated over the last week. They also are in constant prayer for the families of the ten other missing men and the countless others who have been affected by this incredible tragedy.
The Kleppinger Family has designated the organization that Karl felt strongly about. Karl loved animals and he and Tracy chose to adopt all of their animals from a local shelter: the Natchez Humane Society. The facility is in a very small broken down building. A kind gentleman donated a large parcel of land to the Society, but the funds for actually building the facility is lacking and they are fund raising at the moment. Tracy firmly believes that it is this organization Karl would have loved to help support. The organization is:
Natchez Humane Society
392 Liberty Road
Natchez, MS 39120
Phone: (601) 442-4001
Their operational hourse are 2-5 p.m. Monday thru Friday.
The Family asks that any donations be made as “In Rememberance of Karl Kleppinger, Jr.” to their organization.
It always the same with OIL companies and drilling companies, to keep stum. Transocean released a sombre video speech by the top man and requests all employees not to speculate on what happened. What is important is the investigation team will put to gether the timeline of events, but to do this and to get the truth it is best that stories are not embelished on. Media would twist peoples stories.
[QUOTE=offshoremackem;31819]It always the same with OIL companies and drilling companies, to keep stum. Transocean released a sombre video speech by the top man and requests all employees not to speculate on what happened. What is important is the investigation team will put to gether the timeline of events, but to do this and to get the truth it is best that stories are not embelished on. Media would twist peoples stories.[/QUOTE]
I am not sure if this “…but to do this and to get the truth it is best that stories are not embelished on. Media would twist peoples stories” is in the speech your post references or your own comment. I hope it is the former.
It is the Transocean/BP lawyer spin that is exactly needs to be vetted by open, uncontrolled, media and eye witness accounts. Conjecture and speculation will be proven as such but trust me that that is better than a controlled investigation that is done by lawyers and released in a “controlled fashion”.
Speaking as a member of the media, I have to say that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get questions answered right now. The publication I work for isn’t interested in sensationalism - we’re after facts and full answers to our questions so our readers have a better idea of what is happening at Macondo, of which technical solutions are being considered, how effective those could be, where BP, TO etc go from here and - most importantly - what lessons the industry must learn to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
In my opinion, the growing control over the flow of information coming from joint command is not a good thing at all.
I’m a drilling professional and we have been observing & commenting on the control of the information flow in this incident. It’s a fundamental component of Incident Management Training, nevertheless, I am surprised that the information has been so completely controlled - there is virtually no anecdotal information emerging from the day-to-day response. Nomad’s post above alludes to this.
I can only guess that bp’s legal staff have wrought confidentiality agreements for everything that is under their contractual umbrella, and that Transocean has done the same. And it’s interesting that one must go to the third world press to discover how furiously the lawyers are drawing the battle lines for the future litigation over costs and accountability. BP will have a hard time proving that Transocean’s equipment was at fault when it’s their well, under their supervision, that blew the generators out the back of the rig and rendered the system inert.
Our prayers and support go to the survivors who, having come through this terrible ordeal now must run the gauntlet of litigation.
Just a thought, but who’s cement was it, shlumberger, halliburton. Because if it is found that there was a fault with the cement wouldn’t they be libel also.
[QUOTE=Jones Act;31821]I am not sure if this “…but to do this and to get the truth it is best that stories are not embelished on. Media would twist peoples stories” is in the speech your post references or your own comment. I hope it is the former.
It is the Transocean/BP lawyer spin that is exactly needs to be vetted by open, uncontrolled, media and eye witness accounts. Conjecture and speculation will be proven as such but trust me that that is better than a controlled investigation that is done by lawyers and released in a “controlled fashion”.[/QUOTE]
I concur. “Media would twist peoples stories” is the sort of twaddle spoken by folk who are afraid that the media might find out something they don’t want people to know.
Bob Couttie
Administrator
Maritime Accident Casebook
I have no objection to a quote on that site. I would also recommend posting this link to the OSHA website that deals with the specifics of oil & gas H2S hazards, mitigation, and response. H2S cause cause a myriad of problems and all employers and skippers working in and around oilfield activities should have some basic awareness of the issues. Most seamen are aware of dead air in enclosed compartments. Because sulfide settles into low spots in still air conditions, it can create a similar hazard in that you’re just as dead when it’s through with you.:
The media glamorizes the facts to make the stories more dramatic. Crude is bought, sold, and production rates are reported, in BARRELS! European companies convert to Cubic Meters. The media however takes liberty with conversions and reports 42,000 Gal/day that the well is releasing. It makes a better headline than 1,000 bbls/day or 119.24 Cubic Meters.
That is correct and there is another issue besides H2S in regards to boats approaching an offshore rig in distress. If Gas is rising to the surface at night when the boat can not see it, the gas will sink the boat.