On www.cbsnews.com under "60 minutes" there is a Part One and Part Two of "Deepwater Horizon's Blowout" that features a lengthy interview of the rig's chief electronics technician. They are worth watching, in my opinion. Several details are clarified. He describes some serious problems that weren't addressed including possible damage to the BOP which may have made pressure tests of the well invalid leading them to assume that some things were safe when they weren't. He also describes a meeting in which the BP manager on the rig overrules the rig manager employed by Transocean when it comes to a critical step in making the well safe pending production. The well was, apparently, completed and the crew was in the process of sealing it off and leaving it until a production rig could connect to it and begin producing and transporting crude oil to a refinery. The cement job (which I assumed was cementing the casing but was, instead, placing three cement "slugs" in the well which would seal the well. The Transocean manager wanted to place the slugs while there was still "mud" in the well while the BP manager wanted to place two slugs with mud, then evacuate the mud and place the last slug. The BP guy won, apparently. But if they could not rely on pressure tests telling them what the pressures were in the well (because the BOP could have been damaged) then the "slugs" that Hailiburton placed might not have been enough to keep them under control. The guy also describes poor attention to safety (which was the attitude I experienced when I was working on these rigs in the 70s and 80s. Typically there are a lot of "safety posters", meetings, awards, etc. but actual safety is often overlooked. I have also known of employees who were seriously injured being flown to shore, sent to a hospital and then fired and no record of the accident made. One guy, a member of the kitchen staff, fell in a doorway (which had a raised sill) and the sill caught him in his back. The rig manager refused to let a "kitchen helper" ruin his safety record so he fired the guy and flew him off the rig the next day. None of this was unusual for the industry then... and I expect that nothing has changed. If BP's managers overruled a Transocean manager then it might be difficult for BP to continue to maintain that Transocean was responsible for operations and safety. But if Transocean knew (or should have known) that part of the BOP was damaged then that muddies (no pun intended) the waters. If I were damaged by this spill I would not be holding my breath for any payments. I wonder if the $5000 checks BP gave to some fishermen were given as a settlement of damages and will preclude them from going after BP for more. It's all about the bottom line.... not much about the bottom of the ocean. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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