According to British Petroleum (BP) preparations are ongoing for deployment of the lower marine riser package (LMRP) cap containment system. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are engaged in preliminary operations, including preparing for operations to cut through and separate the damaged riser from the LMRP at the top of the Deepwater Horizon’s failed blow-out preventer (BOP).
Deployment of the system will involve connecting the containment cap to a riser from the Discoverer Enterprise drillship and then placing it over the LMRP, with the intention of capturing most of the oil and gas flowing from the well and transporting it to the drillship on the surface.
All of these operations, including the cutting of the riser, are complex, involve risks and uncertainties, and have to be carried out by ROVs at 5,000 feet under water. Systems such as the LMRP containment cap have never before been deployed at these depths and conditions, and their efficiency and ability to contain the oil and gas cannot be assured. It is currently anticipated that attachment of the LMRP cap will be attempted later this week; however, operational delays could impact anticipated timeframes.
Deployment of the system will involve connecting the containment cap to a riser from the Discoverer Enterprise drillship and then placing it over the LMRP, with the intention of capturing most of the oil and gas flowing from the well and transporting it to the drillship on the surface.
All of these operations, including the cutting of the riser, are complex, involve risks and uncertainties, and have to be carried out by ROVs at 5,000 feet under water. Systems such as the LMRP containment cap have never before been deployed at these depths and conditions, and their efficiency and ability to contain the oil and gas cannot be assured. It is currently anticipated that attachment of the LMRP cap will be attempted later this week; however, operational delays could impact anticipated timeframes.
Preparations to use the Discoverer Enterprise to deploy the LMRP cap and the intended severing of the damaged riser mean that the riser insertion tube tool, previously deployed, will not be reinserted into the main leak at the end of the riser.
Work on the first relief well, which started on May 2, continues and it has currently reached a depth of 12,090 feet. Work on the second relief well, which started on May 16, had reached a depth of 8,576 feet before drilling was temporarily suspended on May 26. Drilling operations on the second relief well resumed on May 30. Both wells are still estimated to take around three months to complete from commencement of drilling.
Surface Spill Response and Containment
Work continues to collect and disperse oil that has reached the surface of the sea, to protect the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico, and to collect and clean up any oil that has reached shore.
Over 1,600 vessels are now involved in the response effort, including skimmers, tugs, barges and recovery vessels. Operations to skim oil from the surface of the water have now recovered, in total, some 321,000 barrels (13.5 million gallons) of oily liquid.
The total length of containment boom deployed as part of efforts to prevent oil reaching the coast is now over 1.9 million feet, and an additional 1.8 million feet of sorbent boom has also been deployed.
So far approximately 30,000 claims have been submitted and more than 15,000 payments already have been made, totalling some $40 million. BP has received more than 110,000 calls into its help lines to date.
The total length of containment boom deployed as part of efforts to prevent oil reaching the coast is now over 1.9 million feet, and an additional 1.8 million feet of sorbent boom has also been deployed.
So far approximately 30,000 claims have been submitted and more than 15,000 payments already have been made, totalling some $40 million. BP has received more than 110,000 calls into its help lines to date.
The cost of the response to date amounts to about $990 million, including the cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid and federal costs. It is too early to quantify other potential costs and liabilities associated with the incident.
Lower Marine Riser Package
Image credit: British Petroleum
Location: Wild Well Control yard at the Port of Fourchon, LA. Welders work on the fabrication of one component of the LMRP
Image credit: British Petroleum
Wild Well Control yard at the Port of Fourchon, LA. Welders work on the fabrication of one component of the LMRP
BP announced on May 31 that, after extensive consultation with National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen and other members of the Federal government, it plans to further enhance the lower marine riser package (“LMRP”) containment system currently scheduled to be deployed this week with further measures that are expected to keep additional oil out of the Gulf of Mexico.
The additional steps announced on May 31 will follow placement of the LMRP containment cap, which is expected this week. Preparations for these additional planned enhancements are already underway.
The additional steps announced on May 31 will follow placement of the LMRP containment cap, which is expected this week. Preparations for these additional planned enhancements are already underway.
The first planned addition is intended to use the hoses and manifold that were deployed for the ‘top kill’ operation to take oil and gas from the failed Deepwater Horizon blow-out preventer (BOP) through a separate riser to an intervention vessel on the surface, in addition to the LMRP cap system. This system, which currently is expected to be available for deployment in mid-June, is intended to increase the overall efficiency of the containment operation by possibly increasing the amount of oil and gas flow that can be captured from the well.
It is anticipated that the next planned operation will provide a more permanent system by directing oil and gas to a new free-standing riser ending approximately 300 feet below sea level. A flexible hose then will be attached to a containment vessel. This long-term option is designed to permit the system to more effectively disconnect and reconnect the riser to provide the greatest flexibility for operations during a hurricane. Implementation of this enhancement is expected in late June or early July.
“BP’s priority is to keep as much oil as we can from causing additional harm to the Gulf, the shoreline and the people of the region,” said BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward. “This planned multi-step containment strategy is our best option for achieving this as we work hard towards completing the relief wells that will kill this well completely. Our teams have been working closely with the Federal government, and I have discussed this plan personally with Admiral Allen. I hope we will see progress with these containment procedures in the coming days.”
The strategy and specific containment plans have been extensively reviewed by BP’s scientific and engineering team together with a team of government scientists assembled by Secretaries Ken Salazar and Stephen Chu, including leading researchers from the Department of Energy’s National Labs and Dr. Marsha McNutt, Director of the U.S. Geological Survey.
The planned containment strategy is described in further detail in a video briefing, available at www.bp.com/gulfofmexicoresponse in the 'Response in Video' section entitled "Kent Wells technical briefing - 31 May 2010."
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