A federal drilling moratorium was proposed as a result of oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico 2010. The drilling ban has been loudly criticized by the oil industry. But four oil companies have joined forces to convince the government to cancel the drilling moratorium. Exxon Mobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Royal Dutch Shell are committing $1 billion to set up a rapid oil spill response system in the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, BP could try an operation by this weekend called a “static kill” to permanently seal the BP oil leak. However, the procedure could be postponed, depending on the arrival of an approaching tropical storm.
Current oil spill response systems obsolete
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010 and also the drilling moratorium are a wakeup call for the oil industry. While it has poured billions of dollars drilling for oil in ever-deeper waters, oil spill-response and cleanup technology has not advanced much in decades. The New York Times reports the initial funding for the rapid response system will be used to build containment equipment, including underwater systems and pipelines, that will be able to deal with deep water mishaps. The oil spill response system being developed by the participating oil companies could be expected to work down to 10,000 feet deep and capture up to 100,000 barrels a day.
Oil companies expect system will end drilling moratorium
The oil spill response initiative is the oil companies’ best hope to get the six month ban on deep water drilling lifted as soon as possible. The Wall Street Journal reports that the system resembles the one developed by BP during 3 months of trial and error following the Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20 . A non-profit venture called the Marine Well Containment Business will develop the system within the next 18 months.
Tropical storm adds urgency to latest containment attempt
A procedure called a “static kill” could permanently seal the BP oil leak this weekend. A static kill, according to CNN, is a procedure where mud is pumped into the well to force oil back to the reservoir. Comparable approaches have failed, but BP officials say the static kill could work because pressure in the well is lower than they expected. BP officials are still working on the permanent fix: a relief well that is scheduled to be in place by the end of July. The timing of the static kill is crucial because operations could possibly be disrupted for up to two weeks by a tropical storm headed for the gulf.
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