The Gul of Mexico is now a fire hazard

[BlasterBates]

oh dear!

http://http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aBNgvb9TEqE4&pos=9

Will BP actually survive this?

[Churchill]

oh dear!

http://http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aBNgvb9TEqE4&pos=9

Will BP actually survive this?

Nope, they're going to be raped by the Yanks.

[Paddy]

What really pi$$es me off is that this accident, like the Total Oil Depot fire and many othes are caused by the greed and cutting costs. In the Total disaster, by just one person on duty to check basic equipment would have prevented disaster. The BP disaster seems to be caused in a similar way where nobody was employed to check the safety features. Each piece of equipment was someone else’s responsibility.

[cojak]

I wonder if diver is there?

[DodgyAgent]

What really pi$$es me off is that this accident, like the Total Oil Depot fire and many othes are caused by the greed and cutting costs. In the Total disaster, by just one person on duty to check basic equipment would have prevented disaster. The BP disaster seems to be caused in a similar way where nobody was employed to check the safety features. Each piece of equipment was someone else’s responsibility.

You dont know whether it was cost cutting that led to this disaster. Your assertation is an open ended cliche which suggests that no matter how much money is thrown at prevention in the event of an accident it will never be enough.
An important point here is that it has happened on the doorstep of the USA as opposed to offshore Brazil, Angola and other remote parts of the world. This will force the Industry to look very closely at drilling offshore in deep waters/wells, and it will also make the worlds largest consumer of Oil look again at its own policies.

[Moscow Mule]

The BP disaster seems to be caused in a similar way where nobody was employed to check the safety features.

As I understand it, once you've installed the blowout preventer it's not industry practice to ever check it again.

Can't really blame BP for that, but I expect it to cost them a pretty penny.

[Paddy]

As I understand it, once you've installed the blowout preventer it's not industry practice to ever check it again.

Can't really blame BP for that, but I expect it to cost them a pretty penny.

Even when it has a flat battery?

[OwlHoot]

AIUI, the basic problem is that blowout preventers are designed to work with a certain strength of pipe (they have a pair of blades that are explosively released to cut through the pipe and block it if a sudden pressure surge is detected.) But being at 5000 feet, the pipe was too thick for the blades to cut through it! DOH!

In fact there are two or three devices designed to do the same thing, and all of them failed for basically that reason - Nobody thought to strengthen them for the grade of pipe in use.

[DS23]

I wonder if diver is there?

his pcg nomination indicates that he has been there.

[TimberWolf]

I'm surprised there isn't a ready market for people going out and collecting oil off the surface.