BP Well Is DEAD -Hopefully!
BP, finished pumping cement into its ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, yesterday (Thursday), to seal off the source, of the world’s worst offshore spill.
The cementing operation, took about five hours, and followed earlier injections, of heavy drilling mud this week. The procedure successfully, subdued the upward pressure of oil and gas, inside the deep-sea Macondo well. The crippled wellhead, as you may recall, was provisionally capped in mid-July, and successfully stopped, the flow of oil, gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.
This is not the end of what is left to be done, but, more like the beginning of the end. It is at least, a positive step, to assure us that NO more oil, will be leaking into the environment.
The so-called, “static kill” at the top of the well, is due to be finished off, with a “bottom kill” later in August. At that time, more mud and cement will be injected through a relief bore, that is being drilled, into the ruptured well shaft. This relief well, is regarded as the final step, in plugging the reservoir 13,000 feet beneath the seabed.
“I will declare this well DEAD, once we’ve intercepted the annulus (the space between the well pipe and surrounding rock), and we’ve assessed how much mud or cement we need to do from the bottom, to finally kill this well,” Thad Allen said.
Allen said, ” BP would likely resume drilling the relief well, 24 to 36 hours after the cementing was done, with the initial intercept expected, within five to seven days after that.”
Progress in shutting off the cause of an environmental disaster, for the U.S. Gulf Coast came as a relief, for both BP, and U.S. President Barack Obama, whose approval ratings suffered, from criticism of his administration’s handling (or lack of a speedy response) of the spill.
There is hope, that an end, to the 108-day-old drama is now in sight, however, questions still remain. The U.S. government announced this week, that approximately, 75 percent of the estimated, 4.9 million barrels of oil, that spewed into the Gulf, has either evaporated, dispersed (from the use of dispersants), or otherwise been contained. Some environmental experts say, the U.S. Gulf Coast, may have been lucky, and dodged a nightmare scenario.
But, where has the oil gone? This is the question, many Gulf Coast residents, who have seen their fishing, tourism and livelihoods devastated by the spill, are asking. It’s still evident, in the reeds, salt marshes, mangroves and on the beaches. How much is still at sea — either floating on, in, or near the surface, is unclear. Yes, microbes do eat some of the oil, and some does evaporate, but, we are wondering the whereabouts, of some million barrels of oil! In the meantime, BP and U.S. authorities have NOW, scaled back on cleanup efforts, though they assure us, they will continue the effort. I should hope so, just because things look better, DOESN’T mean, they ARE better!
Coast Guard Rear Admiral Paul Zukunft said, ” the fragile but environmentally important salt marshes of Louisiana, among the hardest hit, of the five Gulf states, appear to be more resilient than expected. There is very little observable oil out there, though he added, that tar balls are expected to keep washing ashore for months, potentially years.”
Hundreds of miles of shoreline have been soiled by the spill, which also has killed thousands of birds and other wildlife, and idled much of the region’s fishing and tourism industries. Some fishermen. are reluctant to ever go back to their prior way of life. They want proof, that the shrimp and shell fish have not been contaminated. Who can blame them?
By days end, we should positively know, the success of the KILL project. The heavy mud is in place, followed by cement — then followed by a “squeeze job” on top. Hopefully, the well can now be declared DEAD, forever.
It is my hope and opinion, with a little forethought and serious planning, that both the Government and the Oil and Gas industry, will learn to avoid such events, in the future. Preparedness, safety and back-up plans for events, such as this, is the best insurance, and GOOD policy. Quickly, enacted Emergency plans, along with tested, and capable BOP’s (in case they fail), should be a standard. There needs to be regulations in place, and NO more deep water drilling!
