[Sca-cooks] OP OT Blowout Preventer Re: Raw clams/raw oysters was Re: Seljuk/Rumi/SufiCuisine

[Terry Decker]

The rig was equipped with a blowout preventer and to my knowledge all 
underwater blowout valves have remote actuation.  What the rig didn't have 
was a blowout preventer with, IIRC,  radio remote activation which is 
required in Europe and Brazil for offshore drilling.  Even had a radio 
remote BOP been installed, they probably could not have gotten it to work as 
they have been unable to close off the well by manual actuation by 
submersible.  This suggests that the valve was damaged or jammed during the 
incident.  That said, it is an ugly refutation of the logic of "drill, baby, 
drill."

As an interesting aside, this particular rig was to have been fitted with a 
Internet connected, real-time monitoring and logging system in 2002.  Those 
logs should be available to tell investigators a lot about the failure.

Bear

----- Original Message ----- 

I understand and completely sympathize.  The President had approved opening
up areas along the East coast as well as Alaska to offshore drilling.  When
I expressed dismay (I live about 4 miles in from the Chesapeake Bay), I was
told that the technology had improved to a point that spills couldn't happen
from these rigs.  I wonder what those people are thinking now?  And I also
understand that the rigs in Europe all are required to have a special
cut-off valve that engages automatically in the case of this sort of
thing...but that the US doesn't require this because it would cost those oil
companies...you know the ones with the absolutely obscene profits) about
$500,000 to install the valves.  sigh.

Kiri