The Deepwater Horizon Incident Timeline
Sept 9, 2010 11:25:06 GMT -8
Post by moabiter on Sept 9, 2010 11:25:06 GMT -8
The Deepwater Horizon Incident Timeline
The following is a timeline of events regarding the Deepwater Horizon incident and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Historical Background: The mineral rights to drill the Macondo Prospect, abbreviated as MC252, were leased by BP in March, 2008. Mapping of the block was completed in March 2009. The drilling plan was approved by MMS in June 2009 by an unlicensed drilling engineer at the agency's New Orleans office. The semi-submersible rig Mariannas spudded the first well at the site and commenced drilling in October 2009. The rig was damaged by hurricane Ida in November (click for the source). Deepwater Horizon took over drilling at the site in February 2010 and, according to this Bloomberg story, almost immediately began experiencing problems with the well.
....
August 24:
A new oil-eating microbe is discovered in the Gulf, dining on the Macondo crude and not consuming all the Oxygen.
BP Engineer Brian Morel, the "nightmare well" email author, pleads the Fifth before the Marine Board.
August 25:
BP Vice President Harry Thierens tells investigators that Transocean made changes to the blowout preventer, costing precious time in trying to operate the device.
BP is now running 24 to 36 hours behind schedule in removing the drill pipe sections from the damaged blowout preventer from the sea floor.
August 26:
BP again disagrees with Thad Allen on need for relief well completion.
August 27:
BP has failed to extract the drill pipe from the BOP, and now moves forward with pulling it.
Testimony: BP managers ignored warning signs before spill. Duh.
Feds: We're having BP remove the cap before we remove the blowout preventer. Oil to spill again? Probably not, but assets are on stand-by.
August 28-30:
Blowout preventer removal is delayed--again.
BP internal report faults its own engineers.
September
September 1:
Judge rules against Obama's deepwater drilling moratorium, again.
September 2:
Another rig goes boom in the Gulf.
The temporary cap (the one that closed off the oil flow on July 15) comes off, in preparation of removing the blowout preventer on the sea floor. The BOP will be a key piece of evidence in the ongoing investigations.
September 5:
The blowout preventer is removed from the well and hoisted to the surface. US Marshalls promptly "arrested it."
September 6:
Dept. of Justice officials refuse to confirm that the blowout preventer is on its way to shore, but the device is believed to be headed to NASA's Michoud facility in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.
September 8:
BP releases the results of its internal investigation of the blowout, explosion and fire that sunk the rig.
www.ibleedcrimsonred.com/p/deepwater-horizon-incident-timeline.html
The following is a timeline of events regarding the Deepwater Horizon incident and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Historical Background: The mineral rights to drill the Macondo Prospect, abbreviated as MC252, were leased by BP in March, 2008. Mapping of the block was completed in March 2009. The drilling plan was approved by MMS in June 2009 by an unlicensed drilling engineer at the agency's New Orleans office. The semi-submersible rig Mariannas spudded the first well at the site and commenced drilling in October 2009. The rig was damaged by hurricane Ida in November (click for the source). Deepwater Horizon took over drilling at the site in February 2010 and, according to this Bloomberg story, almost immediately began experiencing problems with the well.
....
August 24:
A new oil-eating microbe is discovered in the Gulf, dining on the Macondo crude and not consuming all the Oxygen.
BP Engineer Brian Morel, the "nightmare well" email author, pleads the Fifth before the Marine Board.
August 25:
BP Vice President Harry Thierens tells investigators that Transocean made changes to the blowout preventer, costing precious time in trying to operate the device.
BP is now running 24 to 36 hours behind schedule in removing the drill pipe sections from the damaged blowout preventer from the sea floor.
August 26:
BP again disagrees with Thad Allen on need for relief well completion.
August 27:
BP has failed to extract the drill pipe from the BOP, and now moves forward with pulling it.
Testimony: BP managers ignored warning signs before spill. Duh.
Feds: We're having BP remove the cap before we remove the blowout preventer. Oil to spill again? Probably not, but assets are on stand-by.
August 28-30:
Blowout preventer removal is delayed--again.
BP internal report faults its own engineers.
September
September 1:
Judge rules against Obama's deepwater drilling moratorium, again.
September 2:
Another rig goes boom in the Gulf.
The temporary cap (the one that closed off the oil flow on July 15) comes off, in preparation of removing the blowout preventer on the sea floor. The BOP will be a key piece of evidence in the ongoing investigations.
September 5:
The blowout preventer is removed from the well and hoisted to the surface. US Marshalls promptly "arrested it."
September 6:
Dept. of Justice officials refuse to confirm that the blowout preventer is on its way to shore, but the device is believed to be headed to NASA's Michoud facility in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.
September 8:
BP releases the results of its internal investigation of the blowout, explosion and fire that sunk the rig.
www.ibleedcrimsonred.com/p/deepwater-horizon-incident-timeline.html