Summary
The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion was the April 20, 2010, explosion and subsequent fire on the Deepwater Horizon semi-submersible Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), which was owned and operated by Transocean and drilling for BP in the Macondo Prospect oil field about 40 miles (64 km) southeast off the Louisiana coast. The explosion and subsequent fire resulted in the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon and the deaths of 11 workers; 17 others were injured. The same blowout that caused the explosion also caused an oil well fire and a massive offshore oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in the world, and the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history.
Key Learnings / Issues
- Organisational pressure (behind schedule and over budget).
- Equipment malfunction.
- Alarm override.
- Diffusion of responsibility (between BP, Transocean, Schlumberger, Halliburton).
- A corporate focus on personal safety at the expense of process safety.
Quote
“Hope ain’t a tactic, Don.”
Mike Williams (Movie)