Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Apart from plastics, a wide range of marine pollutants exists. Oil spills in the seas and oceans are one of the major nonpoint source pollutants. Often, oil pollution in the seas and oceans is the result of either offshore oil extraction and production or shipping activities. In 2010, the largest oil spill in the US, also known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. This event significantly overhauled the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, which led to more than 10 million gallons of oil spilling into the Prince William Sound (NOAA, 2020).
Classified as an industrial disaster, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the combined result of poor safety regulations and practices. Drilling beyond 5000 feet of Gulf water and 13000 feet under the seafloor, BP was actively engaged in deepwater drilling despite the complex risks due to the substantial financial returns that came with oil extraction and production (National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, 2011). The lack of safety regulations in the industry also allowed for the company to certify any of their drilling activities, overlooking the possible issues that may arise with deepwater drilling; in such deepwater environments, there are very high pressures, and oil and gas reservoirs in deepwater are at even higher pressures.
On 20th April 2010, when the BP workers were closing up an oil well deep under the Gulf of Mexico, the high pressure resulted in the intense release of gas which buckled the drill pipe. The emergency valve meant to contain the well in the event of an accident was not effective and the offshore drilling unit exploded, killing 11 of the 126 workers, leaving the rest severely injured (Marine Mammal Commission, n.d.). As the offshore unit burned and sank, oil started spilling into the Gulf, affecting the marine habitat. Over the course of 87 days, oil continuously spilled into the Gulf; it is estimated that more than 200 million gallons of oil were spilled in the sea (Borunda, 2020). Millions of marine animals lost their lives as a result, and many more were affected by the oil spill.
In the next few posts, we’ll discuss further on the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the marine ecosystem, as well as certain strategies which have been put in place to tackle the oil spillage and minimize the damage to the marine ecosystem.
References
Borunda, A. (2020, April 20). We still don’t know the full impacts of the BP oil spill, 10 years later. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/bp-oil-spill-still-dont-know-effects-decade-later
Marine Mammal Commission. (n.d.). Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Marine Mammal Commission. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/offshore-energy-development-and-marine-mammals/gulf-of-mexico-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-and-marine-mammals/
National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (Ed.). (2011). Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling. National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.
NOAA. (2020, August 17). Exxon Valdez. Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program. https://darrp.noaa.gov/oil-spills/exxon-valdez