What was the BP Oil Spill?
The Gulf of Mexico Spill which is also known as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill or the BP Oil spill is one of the largest known oil spills. The marine oil spill happened on the 20th of April 2010. The explosion that happened right on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig is the one that triggered this huge oil spill. The Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig is situated in the Gulf of Mexico about 41 miles off the Louisiana coast. x
The sinking of the entire oil rig happened on the 22nd of April. Several efforts are being made for cleaning oil spills and this article discusses these important efforts that are being made right now.
Details About The Deep Horizon Oil Spill
It is known that human activities have led to the triggering of so many different environmental problems these days. Well, the cleaning of the oil spills could be one of the main focuses of mankind in order to ensure that the environment doesn’t have to go through more problems again and again.
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According to the sources, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig was owned by a particular drilling company that worked offshore. It was also leased by an oil company known as BP Oil. The rig was placed over an oil well that was situated about 4993 feet below the surface level and above the seabed. The extension of the oil well was about 18000 feet in total. On April 20th, there was a blast of natural gas that occurred along with the entire concrete core which had recently been installed by the contractors.
Once the gas was released from the core fracture, it then traveled right up to the riser of the Deepwater Horizon Rig and then made its way to the main platform. Once there, it ignited and ended up killing about 11 workers on the spot and injuring 17 more. The entire rig then capsized and then sank eventually on April 22nd. The riser was completely ruptured through which the drilling mud was injected in order to make sure that the upward pressure of natural gas and oil can be counteracted. However, since there was no force to oppose the spilling of the oil, it began to discharge rapidly into the gulf. The entire volume of the oil that was escaping the rig was estimated to be about 1000 barrels per day. However, with further investigation, it came to be known that the estimate was much higher, up to about 60,000 barrels per day. Hence, there were some deepwater horizon oil spill solutions used in order to clean the oils.
Efforts Made For Cleaning Oil Spills
The petroleum that was leaking from the entire oil well before the sealing occurred then formed a particular type of slick that then extended over an area of 57,500 square miles of the entire Gulf of Mexico. In order to make sure that the oil spill clean up happened in the best way, about 1.8 million gallons filled with dispersants were thrown into the water. These are the substances that would help in the emulsification of oil. This would also allow the bacteria to metabolize in an easier manner.
These bacteria were then pumped directly into the entire leak and also applied aerially into the entire slick that was formed. There were also some booms deployed to the corral sections of the entire slick. The remaining oil was then siphoned off to some other location and then burned off. In the month of May, it was seen that the oil started to contaminate Louisiana. Hence, it was removed manually. However, the estuaries and marshes situated in the state were also contaminated and the oil was more difficult to remove from there because of the topography. The National Response Team then coordinated various different types of cleanup efforts in order to clean out the remaining oil. This particular team was assimilated by the U.S. Coast Guard as well as the Environmental Protection Agency. The companies associated with the oil rig were held liable in the case of the oil spill settlement.
Impact And Aftermath
The economic prospects after the BP oil spill in the states that centered around the Gulf Coast were really bad. The spill has a negative impact on the different industries. Most of the residents of these states depended on these industries to provide them with resources and employment as well. About a third of the waters in the federal states were actually closed and people weren’t allowed to go fishing as well in order to minimize the contamination as well. After a lot of efforts had been made for cleaning oil spills to this extent, there were some solutions made, however, at the cost of the funds of the state.
FAQs on Cleanup Efforts
1. What was the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill?
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill or the Gulf of Mexico oil spill was one of the largest disasters to have occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon Oil rig that was situated on top of an oil well suddenly exploded on 20 April 2010. The oil well had an explosion of the natural gas that had accumulated in the core of the well. With the fractured core, the oil and natural gas found a way to reach the main platform and rig and then ignited causing a blast that claimed the lives of 11 workers and injured more than 17. The oil then spilled into the Gulf of Mexico at a rate of about 60,000 barrels per day.
2. What were the efforts made for oil spill clean up?
There were several attempts made in order to make sure that the oil that had been leaking into the Gulf of Mexico from the oil rig would be cleaned up in the best way possible. The fractured core was sealed shut in order to stop more oil from leaking. Not to mention that the oil that had already leaked into the Gulf and formed a Slick was then destroyed by throwing dispersants into the water. Also, the excess of the oil was siphoned off and then burned. With the oil leaking to Louisiana, the estuaries and marshes in the states were cleaned with the efforts of the National Response Team.
