New France - Louisiana
The British
Petroleum
Explosion
Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also known as Gulf of Mexico oil spill, is the largest marine oil spill in history, caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on April 20, 2010, approximately 41 miles (66 km) off the coast of Louisiana.
(2010)
The British Petroleum Explosion
A pulse of gas erupted as a crew on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig sought to plug an exploratory oil well deep in the Gulf of Mexico, buckling the drill pipe. The "blowout protector," an emergency valve meant to seal the well in the event of an accident, malfunctioned, allowing gas to enter the drill rig and setting off an explosion that claimed the lives of 11 crew members. (2010)
The figure shows the Deepwater Horizon explosion
The uncapped well released more than 300 Olympic-sized swimming pools' worth of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over the course of the following three months, making it the largest oil spill in American history. Twelve times as much oil was released by the leak as during the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill. (Borunda, 2021)
The Aftermath
Fishermen lost their jobs, some even committed suicide.
Even ten years later, the BP oil spill continues to harm wildlife, particularly dolphins.
Millions of marine mammals, sea turtles, birds, and fish also perished. For 87 days, oil gushed into one of the world's most biodiverse marine habitats, leaving the world helpless. (Meiners, 2022)
The leak made many people more aware of the dangers associated with drilling for oil in one of the world's most ecologically significant, culturally significant, and commercially vital regions. However, even after clean - up efforts costing billions of dollars and ten years to complete, many of the same hazards that contributed to the disaster still exist. (Meiners, 2022)
According to Florida State University scientist Ian MacDonald, "it took the better part of six to seven years to get in place the inspection of blowout preventers and rules about making drilling plans safer and putting common sense regulations in place, but those have been rescinded." (Borunda, 2021)
Absorbent booms were employed by boats to contain the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Reshaping Louisiana
In 2016, BSEE unveiled a fresh set of safety guidelines for offshore activities. One of those regulations demanded that blowout protectors—the component that had failed at Deepwater Horizon—be inspected by a third party as opposed to the drilling companies certifying them on their own. (Borunda, 2021)
References
Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Cleanup efforts. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Deepwater-Horizon-oil-spill/Cleanup-efforts
Meiners, J. (2022, January 26). Ten years later, BP Oil Spill continues to harm wildlife-especially dolphins. Animals. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/how-is-wildlife-doing-now--ten-years-after-the-deepwater-horizon
Borunda, A. (2021, May 3). The Deepwater Horizon Spill started 10 years ago. its effects are still playing out. Science. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/bp-oil-spill-still-dont-know-effects-decade-later