Oil Rig Explosion Today: Review of 2022 Current List Update
– Oil Rig Explosion Today –
There has been so many oil rig explosion today. Consequently, in recent times, every event becomes more deadly than the previous. In this article, we have made available for you all oil rig explosion today. Before we proceed, we have answered some of your questions.
Unfortunately, oil platforms have a high risk of fire or explosion. Even though water surrounds them, we are still facing oil rig explosions.
What Is The Deadliest Offshore Oil Rig Explosion In History
In terms of sheer loss of life, the Piper Alpha disaster is the deadliest offshore oil rig disaster ever recorded.
On July 6, 1988, there was a pump maintenance project that led to the removal of a safety valve on a gas pipe.
However, they sealed the pipe temporarily. Also, they ordered the removal of the pump until the project completion.
However, because of a communication error, the next shift crew turned on the pump. This led to a gas leak that created a series of massive explosions.
The explosions killed 167 people, leaving only 61 survivors of a 226-person crew.
How Often Do Oil Rig Explosions Occur
Oil rig explosions are like plane crashes: they are rare, but when they occur, there’s usually a tremendous loss of life.
Greg McCormack, director of the Petroleum Extension Service at the University of Texas, said “These events are low probability with a high consequence.”
Like plane crashes, oil rig explosions are almost always because of human error, which is why it’s vital to hold oil companies accountable when something goes terribly wrong.
Top Oil Rig Explosion
Have you wondered how many oil rig explosions have occurred in recent times? Below is the list of the top oil rig explosion today;
READ ALSO!!!
- Oil Rig Explosion Today
- Oil Spills Effect Both on Human and Wild Life
- Agip Oil Company Scholarship
- Nigerian AGIP Oil Scholarships
- Effects of Minimum Wage in Public Sector
1. The Santa Barbara Oil Spill (January 1969)
In January 1969, Union Oil began drilling a fifth oil well on their offshore Platform A, just over five miles from the coast of Santa Barbara, CA.
On the morning of January 28, the well blew out, spewing oil and gas.
The explosion cracked the seafloor in 5 places and released 1,000 gallons of oil an hour. A second blowout in a different well followed on February 24th.
More Details
Eventually, the California coastline would be devastated by 3 million gallons of crude—the largest oil spill in the nation’s history until the Exxon Valdez 20 years later.
The destruction was both so immense and so visible that it sparked the environmental advocacy movement as we know it.
The spill led to the signing of the National Environmental Policy Act, which required the creation of environmental impact reports on major projects.
The spill created a cultural moment, too. For the first time, regular Americans were deeply concerned with environmental health.
The following year marked the first time the U.S. celebrated Earth Day.
2. The Alexander L. Kielland Disaster (March 1980)
In March 1980, one of the deadliest oil rig accidents in history occurred due to a fatigue crack caused by a bad weld job 6mm wide.
More so, on March 27, over 200 oil rig workers were aboard with Alexander L.Kielland. However, in a “floating hotel” for off-duty operators that included a cinema among its amenities.
The oil platform was owned by Stavanger Drilling Company, but it was being used by Phillips Petroleum.
In the evening, while the men were enjoying their off-hours, the wind outside had picked up to 45 miles per hour with 40-foot waves.
More Details
Around 6:30 PM, the men reported hearing a loud crack—later determined to be the snapping of 5 anchor cables.
The sixth cable barely held, preventing the platform from capsizing. However, because there was a poor command structure aboard the Kielland, most of the men did not escape the platform.
Within 20 minutes, the sixth anchor cable snapped. And the platform capsized. However, of the seven 50-man lifeboats and twenty 20-man rafts, they released only 1 lifeboat and 2 rafts from the lowering cables.
Despite this, of the 212 men aboard, 123 died.
The tragedy led to new requirements for lifeboat hooks and new command structures to facilitate faster abandonment of sinking vessels.
3. The Ocean Ranger Disaster (February 1982)
The Ocean Ranger was a mobile offshore drilling rig that sank near Canada in February 1982 while drilling an exploratory well for Mobil Oil of Canada.
A rogue wave hit the evening of February 14, 1982, Ocean Ranger and nearby vessels.
They heard the oil platform over the radio describing how a porthole window broke, allowing water to enter the ballast control room.
The vessel was getting hit by waves 65 feet or higher, while the porthole window was only at 28 feet. After midnight, Ocean Ranger reported they were listing 10-15 degrees.
More Details
At around 1 AM, local authorities and Mobil helicopters were alerted to the situation. More so, they asked all nearby vessels to assist the platform, which was still leaning 10 degrees to the left.
However, the Ocean Ranger transmitted an ultimate message that they were abandoning the ship.
All 84 of the crew, including 46 Mobil employees and 38 contractors, died. Investigators found they did not equip nearby vessels to rescue casualties from the sea.
Thus, this occurs, especially in severe weather. So most of the men died from drowning or hypothermia.
READ ALSO!!!
- Oil Rig Explosion Today
- Oil Spills Effect Both on Human and Wild Life
- Agip Oil Company Scholarship
- Nigerian AGIP Oil Scholarship
- Part-Time Jobs for Students
4. The Deepwater Horizon Disaster (April 2010)
The destruction of the Deepwater Horizon is one of the worst offshore disasters in recent memory.
The rig, owned by Transocean and drilling for BP, exploded and caught fire on April 20, 2010, off the Louisiana coast.
Many red flags preceded the oil rig explosion. In 2009, BP engineers were concerned that the materials they wanted to use for drilling would buckle under pressure.
Rig workers believed it would fire them for raising safety concerns, but many were concerned that the equipment was unreliable and required maintenance.
In March 2010, an accident went unreported that damaged the blowout preventer (which had gone uninspected since 2005).
On the night of the explosion, BP engineers saw warning signs hours before the blowout that the well was going to explode.
At 9:56 PM, a bubble of methane gas travelled up the drill column, expanding as it climbed. Survivors described two “vibrations” prior to the fire starting.
The oil rig fire burned for over a day before the Deepwater Horizon sank. Of the 126 people on board, 11 were killed and 17 were transported to trauma centres.
They transported other workers to a hotel in Kenner, Louisiana. However, they asked them to sign a waiver asserting that they were not injured.
Workers reported feeling as though they were being forced to sign the waiver before being given what they needed.
I do believe this article is helpful. If yes, do well to share this information with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp.
CSN Team.
