DEEPWATER HORIZON

20 avril  2010

Explosion

 

 

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A - Navire & Intervenants

Vessel & Interveners

   
       

1 - Numéro IMO :

8764597

2 - Nom du navire :

DEEPWATER HORIZON

3 - Signal d'appel :

V7HC9

4 - MMSI :

 

5- Tonnage brut : 32 588 6 - DWT : Not applicable

5 - Type de navire :

Column Stabilized Unit

8 -Année de construction :

2001

9 - Pavillon :

Marshall Islands

10 -Statut du navire :

Lost

11 - Propriétaire  déclaré :

TRITON ASSET LEASING Gmbh

12 - Adresse :

Turmstrasse 30 CH-6300 Zug (Switzerland)

13 - Ship Manager :

Triton Hungary Asset Management Limited Liability Company

14 - Adresse :

C/O TRANSOCEAN DEEPWATER DRILLING Inc

4 Greenway Plaza - Houston, Tx, 77046, United Sates

15 : ISM Manager :

16 - Adresse :

17 - Société de Classification :

American Bureau of Shipping

18 - P&I

19 - Affréteur :

 

20 - Sauveteurs :

 

21 - Apériteur Corps :

 

22 - Avocat Apériteur Corps :

 

23 - Assureur Facultés :

 

24 - Avocat Assureurs Facultés :

 

Les informations 1 à 18 sont extraites de la base de données Equasis. Elles sont à jour à la date de l’avarie objet de ce document. Les informations 19 à 24 sont extraites de sites internet en accès libre.

Information 1 to 16 are extracted from the database Equasis. Information are updated at the date of the casualty. Information from 19 to 24 were found on public websites

 

B - Résumé du Sinistre

Summary of the casualty

 
 

At approximately 10 p.m. (CST) on Tuesday, April 20, an explosion rocked Transocean's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in what has escalated into one of the nation's deadliest offshore drilling incidents of the past half-century. After the initial blowout occurred, the leaking wellhead continued to feed the fire onboard the semisub until the rig ultimately collapsed beneath the deep waters of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Situated on Mississippi Canyon Block 252, more than 50 miles southeast of Venice off Louisiana's coast, the Deepwater Horizon recently suspended drilling operations on the Macondo prospect. According to the Minerals Management Service, BP filed a permit to temporarily abandon the well on April 16.

The Deepwater Horizon semisub commenced drilling on the Macondo prospect in February 2010 and had recently terminated drilling at a depth of just over 18,000 ft. Operating alongside the U.S. Coast Guard and the Minerals Management Service, BP has since launched a comprehensive, pre-approved oil spill response plan following the April 22 sinking of the Deepwater Horizon.

A collaborative investigation conducted by the Coast Guard and Minerals Management Service to determine the cause of the incident is in progress. As the responsible party, BP is required to fund response and recovery costs. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is also available to fund costs if required. Below is a chronological overview comprising the events taking place from the moment the rig was submerged to the current well intervention measures taking place to subdue an oil spill identified at the well site.

Eleve members of the Deepwater Horizon are missing ( Jason Anderson, Aaron Dale Burkeen, Donald Clark, Stephen Curtis, Roy Wyatt Kemp, Karl Kleppinger, Gordon Jones (M-I SWACO), Blair Manuel (M-I SWACO), Dewey Revette, Shane Roshto, Adam Weise)

 

C - Lieu du Sinistre

Location of the casualty

 
 
 

 
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D - Au fil des jours

Day to day

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Associated Press 13 Mai 2010 Une négligence de BP serait à l'origine de la marée noire

La compagnie pétrolière BP a décidé de poursuivre les travaux sur sa plate-forme Deepwater Horizon, dont le récent naufrage est à l'origine de la marée noire dans le golfe du Mexique, malgré des tests suggérant une fuite de gaz dans le puits, rapporte le Wall Street Journal sur son site internet.

Le journal, qui cite des documents et des témoignages publiés par des enquêteurs du Congrès, laisse entendre qu'une négligence de la compagnie serait à l'origine de l'explosion de la plate-forme intervenue le 20 avril, deux jours avant le naufrage.

De la boue, qui empêchait le gaz de s'échapper du puits, aurait été enlevée avant même qu'un bouchon en béton ne soit coulé, affirme le journal, qui cite les témoignages de deux entrepreneurs.

Ce bouchon en béton aurait été une sécurité supplémentaire pour empêcher la fuite de gaz naturel, qui a eu un impact sur plusieurs valves de sécurité.

Jonathan Spicer, Clément Dossin pour le service français

 

Associated Press 13 Mai 2010: Golfe du Mexique: la marée noire a déjà coûté 450 millions de dollars à BP

Le groupe pétrolier BP a indiqué jeudi que la marée noire dans le golfe du Mexique, provoquée par une fuite dans le puits de pétrole d'une plate-forme qui a explosé en avril, lui avait déjà coûté quelque 450 millions de dollars (358,3 millions d'euros).

Cette somme comprend le coût des mesures prises pour tenter d'enrayer la fuite de pétrole, les engagements financiers de BP envers les Etats du golfe du Mexique (Louisiane, Mississippi, Alabama et Floride) et le coût de l'intervention de l'Etat fédéral, a précisé le groupe britannique dans un document transmis à la Securities ans Exchange Commission (SEC), le gendarme des marchés américains.

BP est responsable du nettoyage en tant qu'exploitant de la plate-forme, qui a explosé le 20 avril, faisant 11 morts, avant de sombrer deux jours plus tard. Des spécialistes estiment que plus de 15 millions de litres de brut sont depuis partis dans les eaux du golfe du Mexique.

Lundi, le groupe évoquait encore un montant de 350 millions de dollars (278,7 millions d'euros). Le directeur des opérations du groupe, Doug Suttles, avait affirmé mercredi que la facture augmentait de 10 millions de dollars (7,96 millions d'euros) par jour.

Le cours de l'action BP a chuté d'environ 20% à la Bourse de New York depuis l'accident. AP

 

L'indemnisation des victimes pourrait prendre de cinq à dix ans LE MONDE du 3 mai 2010

Le recours aux assureurs extérieurs n'est pas considéré comme économiquement rentable pour une société comme la nôtre. C'est pourquoi nous prenons nous-mêmes en charge les pertes opérationnelles" : fidèle à ce précepte publié dans son rapport annuel, exercice après exercice, le géant pétrolier britannique BP s'est engagé à indemniser les victimes "légitimes" de la marée noire. Comme bon nombre de multinationales, BP a créé sa propre société d'assurance, une "captive" dans le jargon, pour couvrir ses risques. Reste que les responsabilités de la major dans l'explosion et le naufrage de la plate-forme Deepwater Horizon s'entremêlent avec celles d'autres entreprises de services. Certes BP est le principal propriétaire du gisement d'hydrocarbures situé dans le golfe du Mexique, mais le britannique n'est actionnaire qu'à hauteur de 65 % aux côtés du japonais Mitsui (10 %) et de l'américain Anadarko (25 %). Qui plus est, la plate-forme concernée était louée à Transocean, une compagnie suisse de forage basée à Houston, dont les équipes étaient chargées de la production et de la sécurité de la plate-forme, valorisée à 560 millions de dollars (421 millions d'euros). L'assurance contractée par Transocean doit couvrir non seulement le coût de remplacement du site d'exploitation, mais aussi la récupération et la destruction de l'épave.

Trois sociétés parapétrolières américaines pourraient également voir leur responsabilité engagée. Cameron International et Hydroil, une filiale de GE Oil, ont fourni les obturateurs anti-éruption destinés à protéger les équipements contre l'énorme pression en haute profondeur. Par ailleurs, Halliburton a cimenté les appareils de sondage. Mais l'entreprise a estimé qu'il était "prématuré et irresponsable" de spéculer à ce stade sur les causes de la catastrophe. En général, les risques de la production pétrolière en mer comme à terre font l'objet d'une réassurance auprès des professionnels londoniens du département énergie du Lloyds, la première Bourse mondiale d'assurance. L'un de ses porte-parole indiquait, dimanche 2 mai, qu'il était trop tôt pour mesurer l'impact financier de la marée noire sur la compagnie. Dans ces conditions, les premières estimations du coût de la pollution pour ces différents intervenants varient de 3 à 12,5 milliards de dollars. Selon le courtier new-yorkais Sanford Bernstein &Co, la facture de BP pourrait atteindre au moins 8 milliards de dollars. Devant les tribunaux, BP risque d'être largement pénalisée par les révélations sur la découverte de défauts en juin 2000 dans le fonctionnement de Deepwater Horizon.

Selon l'agence fédérale Minerals Management Service, chargée d'administrer les concessions pétrolières offshore, le gisement a subi plusieurs fuites importantes provoquant des pollutions marines de 2002 à 2005. En 2009, BP a pourtant transmis un rapport optimiste sur cette plate-forme à l'agence fédérale : "Il est improbable qu'un accident de pollution pétrolière en surface ou en profondeur puisse se produire en raison de la distance des côtes et des procédures d'intervention rapides mises en place." La compagnie centenaire est déjà pointée du doigt en raison de manquements graves aux règles de sécurité qui ont conduit à l'explosion de la raffinerie de Texas City en 2005 (15 morts, plus de 800 blessés) et à la pollution de Prudhoe Bay (Alaska) en 2006, à la suite de la corrosion d'un oléoduc. Sans parler des critiques visant le vieillissement de ses plates-formes qui fouillent les entrailles de la mer du Nord. En vertu de la législation américaine, BP et ses deux associés sont responsables de l'indemnisation des victimes de la pollution proprement dite, quitte à se retourner par la suite contre d'autres parties. Si, à ce jour, huit plaintes en collectif ont été lancées contre BP, d'après les experts juridiques, le dossier d'indemnisation ne devrait pas être clos avant cinq à dix ans.

Marc Roche Article paru dans l'édition du 04.05.10

 

Aboutlawsuits.com : Deepwater Horizon Oil Drilling Rig Explosion Lawsuits Filed by Two Families

Published: April 23rd, 2010

Following an explosion Tuesday night on the British Pretroleum (BP) oil drilling rig known as Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, at least two families have filed lawsuits against BP and the rig’s builders alleging negligence caused the disaster.

Eleven of the 126 crewmembers of the Deepwater Horizon were still missing Friday morning, after the BP drilling platform exploded and caught fire for reasons that are still unknown. The platform burned until Thursday morning, when it collapsed and the massive oil rig plunged into the waters of the Gulf.

There were 115 people on the rig who have been confirmed to have escaped by life boat. At least seventeen of the rescued workers were injured, with three in critical condition. The wounded were flown by air ambulances to hospitals in New Orleans, Louisiana and Mobile, Alabama.

On Thursday, the family of missing worker Shane Roshto filed a lawsuit over the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion against BP and Transocean Ltd. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District Court of Louisiana. The lawsuit accuses the companies of negligence and failing to meet federal regulations. Another Deepwater Horizon lawsuit was also filed against the companies on behalf of worker Karl Kelppinger Jr. in state court in Harris County.

Officials have indicated that the explosion and sinking oil rig may unleash a catastrophic oil spill in the already environmentally fragile Gulf of Mexico. Coast Guard officials on the scene say it does not appear that such a spill has occurred yet, but they are monitoring the drill’s wellhead and will continue to do so. The Coast Guard warns that if the wellhead does rupture, it could release up to 8,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

The Coast Guard has detected a sheen of oil on the water across a five mile area, but has determined that the oil was blown out by the explosion.

The Deepwater Horizon platform was constructed and owned by Transocean Ltd., and was under lease to BP. The rig was 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana performing exploratory drilling. Officials from Transocean said that workers who escaped the burning platform feared that the 11 missing workers were too close to the initial blast, and may not have escaped.

The potentially deadly explosion comes a few months after the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined BP $77.4 million for safety problems at its Texas oil refinery. A blast in 2005 at the refinery killed 15 people and injured 170 others. OSHA has issued 270 safety notifications in regards to problems at the BP refinery, noting that there were 439 instances of “willful and egregious” safety violations at the facility.

 

The Rig Zone 1st May 2010 / Progression of Events until 30 april

On Thursday, April 22, the Deepwater Horizon experienced additional explosions in the aftermath of the first blowout, and subsequently sunk just below the surface roughly 130 miles southeast of New Orleans in almost 5,000 ft. of water. There were approximately 700,000 gallons (2.6 million liters) of diesel fuel onboard the massive rig. Following the Deepwater Horizon's initial explosion, the U.S. Coast Guard initiated a round-the-clock rescue mission, during which an estimated 126 crewmembers were able to evacuate from the rig. Seventeen workers were injured in the initial blast and were immediately transported to shore to receive medical care at facilities located in the Gulf coastal states of Alabama and Louisiana. Eleven workers were reported missing Wednesday, April 21.

After days of emergency response operations, the Coast Guard suspended the search for the 11 missing crewmembers at approximately 7 p.m. on Friday, April 23. The Coast Guard searched continuously for three days, the effort of which consisted of 28 air and surface sorties, covering more than 5,000 square miles.

On Thursday, April 22, operator BP initiated a plan of intervention to halt the oil flows beginning to surface around the submerged rig and well location using remotely operated vehicles. After the rig's collapse, a one-mile by five-mile slick had settled on the surface. Specifically, BP mobilized 32 spill response vessels, including a large storage barge, as well as deployed resources comprising skimming capacity of more than 171,000 barrels per day, offshore storage capacity of 122,000 barrels with an additional 175,000 barrels on standby, supplies of more than 100,000 gallons of dispersants and four aircraft to carry out the dispersant operations.

With initial well intervention efforts under way, the Coast Guard announced on Friday, April 23, that oil no longer appeared to be flowing from the Macondo well head. Approximately 1,900 gallons of dispersant were applied Friday and 33,726 gallons of oily-water mix was recovered by surface skimmers. However, during an overflight conducted by the Coast Guard over the weekend, a 20-mile by 20-mile rainbow sheen with areas of emulsified crude was spotted about 40 miles offshore.

On Sunday, April 25, the unified command continued intervention efforts in an attempt to contain the source of oil emanating from the wellhead. A plan was previously approved to utilize submersible ROVs in an effort to activate the blowout preventer on the sea floor and to stop the flow of oil, estimated to be leaking at a rate of up to 1,000 barrels/42,000 gallons a day. At the start of the week ending April 29, rig personnel were evacuated from Diamond Offshore's Ocean Endeavor semisubmersible drilling rig, located on Mississippi Canyon Block 211. Transocean's GSF Development Driller III was the first rig mobilized for the drilling of a relief well late Monday to secure the Macondo exploration well. According to BP's Chief Executive, Tony Hayward, the first relief well, expected to cost around $100 million, could potentially take up to three months to drill. BP will also drill a second relief well using Transocean's Discoverer Enterprise drillship, currently en route to Mississippi Canyon Block 252. Both drilling rigs are under contract to BP.

During a flyover on Tuesday, April 27 at 5:00 p.m. (CST), the Coast Guard identified a rainbow sheen approximately 600 miles in circumference with areas of emulsified crude in the Gulf of Mexico. The edge of the sheen was approximately 23 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Five staging areas are now in place and ready to protect sensitive shorelines.

On Wednesday, April 28, the Coast Guard initiated an in situ burn on portions of an oil slick that continues to spread closer to the U.S. Gulf coastline, where ecological areas are at risk. Furthermore, U.S. government officials revised estimates of the Macondo spill's volume to as much as 5,000 barrels of oil per day, or five times the original figure, on Thursday, April 29. The revised spill estimate was made public by the U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

BP has so far been unsuccessful in shutting off the well's oil flows using eight remote-controlled submarines to activate the blowout preventer and efforts have escalated under the Obama Administration's discretion. To date, more than 100,000 feet of boom (barrier) has been assigned to contain the spill. An additional 286,760 feet is available and 320,460 feet has been ordered. As of Thursday, April 29, the oil spill response team has recovered 16,311 barrels (685,062 gallons) of an oil-water mix. Vessels are in place and continuing recovery operations.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has indicated that the future of President Obama's offshore drilling expansion plan opening up new areas in the eastern Gulf of Mexico could depend on the cause of the spill. The Interior Department has ordered a safety review of all offshore rigs. The oil spill is expected to reach the southern Gulf coastline by late Thursday, April 29.

 

E - Cause du Sinistre

Cause

 
 

No information for the time being

 

 

 

F - Coût du Sinistre

Costs

 

1 - Corps et Marchines :

USD 560 000 000 2 - Facultés  : USD
3 - Assistance :

TBA

4 - Frais : TBA
       
 

 

G - Limitations de Responsabilité

Liability limits

 

1 - LLMC 1976 :

DTS  2 - LLMC 1996 : DTS
3 - CLC PROT 1992 :

DTS 

4 -  CLC PROT 2000 : DTS
5 - PAL 1974 :

Sans Objet

4 - PAL PROT 2000 : Sans Objet
       

 

H - Sites web - Sources

Related websites - Sources

 
 
National Oceanic and  Atmospheric Administration

Transocean (Deepwater)

The Rig Zone

Deepwater Ocean Response (website)
Deepwater Ocean Wikipedia Page (French)
Deepwater Ocean Wikipedia Page (English)
British Petroleum

   
   
   

 

I - Documents & Rapports

Documents and reports

 
 

   
   
   
   

 

J- Photos

Picturess

 
 

 

 

 

Crédits

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If I have accidentally breached a copyright attaching to any of the photographs on this page, please e-mail me, and I shall remove the photograph immediately

 

 

 

K- Videos

Videos

 
 

 

 

 
 
 
   

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L - Commentaires

Comments

 
 

 

 

NB : All the Information mentioned in this page are extracted from public and free access web sites or papers, magazines, etc. Our sources are mentioned. If any problem, please contact the webmaster.

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