It has happened in the Persian Gulf in 1991: Between 780,000 to 1,500,000 tons of oil got spilled as a result of the Gulf War. It has happened in several other places. And now it’s happening in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico has been, rightly, dominating our TV screens in recent weeks. With an estimate of over 100,000 barrels/day spilled at the start of the spill, and subsequent 70,000 barrels spilling everyday and continuing, the magnitude is enormous, the impact on the natural marine environment and habitat devastating and the health impact it will have on people, although not emphasized enough on, very predictable. This is why BP as the major operator on the ground carries a lot of responsibility on its shoulders at the moment. And sleep shall they get the day their experts and other workers on the ground manage to stop the leakages. People of Louisiana and around the world are waiting to see what BP has got to show off regarding corporate responsibility. That responsibility that I know BP knows does not stop at putting a stop to the leakages but going further in remedying the situation to the best of their ability.
No doubt this accident will be expensive for BP. At over 350 billion dollars at now, an amount of money they could have saved if maybe their very smart operational maintenance, risk and safety experts have indeed been smart enough to come to different conclusions and subsequent decisions regarding operations on the oil field in deep waters offshore way before the spill. Or maybe if the state authorities’ guidelines for exploration and other activities have been stricter and more responsible even to the dislike of the companies. If the leniency was to satisfy corporate, well today, it has the opposite effects on BP and the people that depend on the sea for their livelihood.
No wonder in recent years, companies including I think BP are shifting their focus on not only their preparedness for dealing with catastrophes like the one happening in the gulf of Mexico now, but more on preventive aspects of operations and maintenance. Through experience, as undesirable as they have been, companies, especially operator and service oil companies, have adopted the need to work harder to achieve their Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) goals through embarking on improving preventive measures rather that corrective measures. This, they realized, will not only be more viable cost wise, but also more rewarding with regards to protecting the relative calm in our marine environments that are already facing more than enough turbulence due to human activities such as oil exploration, fishing, marine transport and dumping of dangerous wastes etc.
The fate, behavior and effect(how it may affect me and you) of the spilled oil is quite complex but interesting. Will be good to know what you guys know or think about the event.
Thank you
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Posted - 15 May 2010 : 11:09:18
