Page 18: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (May/Jun 2015)

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billion to Deepwater Horizon claimants.

That cost is part of the $28 billion BP has spent on response, cleanup, and early restoration. And, as the supermajor’s court case continues in New Orleans, a

OE Opinion federal judge ruled in January that the

Macondo well discharged 3.19 MMbo into the Gulf. The ruling capped the maximum fne – $13.7 billion – BP can

Undercurrents face for violations to the US Clean Water

Act.

Last month (April), scientists at the

Remembering

Harte Research Institute (HRI) for Gulf of

Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University- the not-so distant past

Corpus Christi reported that the Gulf, iven that our issue’s focus is the Gulf after the spill, remains resilient. “The

G of Mexico, it is ftting that we remem- true measure of the health of the Gulf of ber the ffth anniversary of the Deepwater Mexico is how well it can bounce back,”

Horizon disaster. On 20 April 2010, 11 said Dr. Larry McKinney, HRI’s Executive lives were lost when the Macondo well Director. “The spill was a tremendous blew out, spilling millions of barrels of test of that resiliency, and fve years later oil, igniting not just a fre, but change in it seems the Gulf has passed.” the oil and gas industry. And, much like the Gulf is resilient,

Nothing would ever be truly the same. so is the oil and gas industry. While,

And while the moratorium in the US currently, it faces a stark downturn, slowed operations for a time, it did not activity and investment remains strong

Deepwater Horizon response in 2010. slow the desire to innovate, improve safety, in this region. To prove that, OE shines

Photo from US Coast Guard.

and – most importantly – return to work.

a spotlight on deepwater projects, and

Sure, there will be many who say, counsel until the emergency comes, until the development of ultra-high pressure, “Why even bring it up?” To quote self-preservation strikes its jarring gong– ultra-high temperature technology on page

Winston Churchill at the House of these are the features which constitute 104 of this issue. Additionally, OE profles

Commons, 2 May 1935: the endless repetition of history.” EMAS AMC’s new marine base in the Gulf “When the situation was manageable it Granted, he was discussing the ris- on page 116.

was neglected, and now that it is thor- ing power of the Nazis leading up to In January, the US Department of the oughly out of hand we apply too late the World War II, but the quotation could Interior issued its proposed oil and gas remedies which then might have effected be applied to pre-2010 era thinking in leasing program for 2017-2022, with a cure. There is nothing new in the the industry. Because when the warning 10 sales in the Gulf of Mexico planned. story… It falls into that long, dismal cata- signs were there, they went unanswered At the time, director of the US Bureau log of the fruitlessness of experience and until it was far, far too late. of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) the confrmed unteachability of mankind. And fve years after the spill, BP is still Abigail Ross Hopper said: “This new

Want of foresight, unwillingness to act paying for the error, quite literally. On 16 approach will allow for BOEM to more when action would be simple and effec- April, the company announced that its effectively balance the sales while tive, lack of clear thinking, confusion of oil spill fund paid out more than US$5 providing greater fexibility to industry to invest in the Gulf, particularly given the signifcant energy reforms recently adopted by the Mexican government.”

And, to Hopper’s point, Mexico’s own energy reform has stirred interest in the opportunities that lay in its portion of the Gulf. Even in this downturn, plenty of healthy companies are likely to take a chance on new endeavors there. See page 108 for a roundup of the foating produc- tion units already in use offshore Mexico.

While many who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it, let this ffth anniversary show how far we have come, and how much farther we have to go.

And with newly proposed rules (30 CFR

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Part 250) from the Bureau of Safety and

Hard at work — Anadarko’s decommissioned Red Hawk spar in tow to its reefng site

Environmental Enforcement heading our in the Gulf of Mexico. See the full story on page 112. Photo from InterMoor.

way, change is the only constant.

Have a photo? Submit yours at [email protected].

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