Blame game

[Bird]

It's a terrible tragedy for the families of the 11 men killed, and I believe the news has mentioned some others injured; some pretty severely. And it's an environmental disaster, but one for which we'll eventually recover. Expensive? Certainly. And the cost will be passed on to all of in the form of higher energy costs.

But I think CDsdad has given us better information than we're getting from the news media, and I appreciate his posts.

I never worked on a drilling rig, and never wanted to because I went with my dad a few times when I was just a kid and he worked for Johnston Testers in Healdton and Marlow, OK. That's hard, dirty, dangerous, but necessary, work.

 

[crusty 1]

agreed bird,but what a huge mess for everyone.I,m old enough it won,t matter for me, so I may have to get shrimp from China.Just very concerened about the outcome for the little ones.I hope all will be ok.Dave

 

[rekees4300]

"get shrimp from China"
Now that's a scary thought since they have exported toxic toys, drywall and dog food not to mention 1,000s of Walmarts full of junk?

"If they'd open up drilling closer to shore they wouldn't have to go a mile deep."
Doubt the folks in Santa Barbara would agree.

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May 12, 2010: 2:35 PM ET


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- BP knew of problems with an offshore well hours before it exploded last month, spilling millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, a House committee chairman said Wednesday.

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said the oil company told the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on oversight privately that the well failed a key pressure test just hours before it exploded on April 20.

The test indicated pressure was building up in the well, which could indicate oil or gas was seeping in and could lead to an explosion, said Waxman.

"Yet it appears the companies did not suspend operations, and now 11 workers are dead and the Gulf faces an environmental catastrophe," he said, asking why work wasn't stopped on the well.

 

[CDsdad]

Some way BP caused the accident. The reason they contracted it out is not better experience of the drilling company but the lowest cost. The lowest cost often means old equipment and unskilled people.
I work for Oil and Gas as a vendor and see this all the time. I call it the lowest bidder syndrome. Fortunately for me the more they screw it up the more money I make.

You are partially correct, but mostly wrong. I will ask this question first. Have you ever set foot offshore for more than a week? If you did and you think we're often unskilled and the equipment is old, please don't go back to those rigs or platforms, and you shouldn't do business with that company, it makes you look bad and endangers your life. A good businessman doesn't need bad customers.

You got one thing 1/2 right. It is cheaper for BP to contract their drilling than to build and maintain their own rigs. But, BP also does not have on their payroll people capable of running a rig. I never cared for Transocean's upper management when I worked for them in the '90s, but they have the best iron and best skilled people in the world to drill an exploratory well for commercially producable hydrocarbons. They have over 40 rigs running in water depths greater than 3000'. I know this because I've been on rigs owned by Ensco, Pride, Rowan, Nabors, H&P, Diamond, and yes, Transocean. Transocean is head and shoulders above them all.

Did you know any of the "unskilled" people on the Horizon? I have personally worked with some of the guys that died on the Deepwater Horizon. They were professional. They were humans and imperfect like we all are, but they were professional, so don't speak about things or people you don't know.

As far as the lowest bidder syndrome, do you think that is isolated to the oil and gas industry. Does your company buy from the highest bidder?

 

[arrow]

Since you have the experience CD , what is the general consensus of guys drilling for oil of how oil got in the earth in the first place.

 

[crusty 1]

I,m sorry I didn,t want the current in fighting to start haven,t we had enough of that?We are all Americans,hopefully civil to each other.I,v been around long enough to know that no one is always right and no one is always wrong.I claim NO party because niether cares about us only to further fatten thier own wallets and its at the kids expense.We should have been off oil long ago,for 100 plus years we,ve been stuck,aren,t we smarter than that?I,m done ain,t got but a few years left so makes no difference to me,but I,ll stand up for my grand babies till that time.We owe them better than this.Dave

 

[arrow]

Crusty, I'm not sure but I do not think there has been nary a post in this entire forum that if the subject kept going that the post would not turn beligerant by someone. I think its a "cyber" thing. Some of the toughest guys I know and worked with who in a physical confrontation could literally collapse the side of their opponents skull with one punch, were also the most polite and respectful toward people. You got it right. There may be thought differences but hardly any warrant some of the denegrating responses found at this site. Just about anything can be explained in a civil and gentlemanly manner. There is nothing you need to be sorry for.

 

[CDsdad]

Since you have the experience CD , what is the general consensus of guys drilling for oil of how oil got in the earth in the first place.

The industry accepted and scientific explanation as told to me firsthand by a petrophysicist for a MAJOR oil company. Organic matter decaying over time under temperature and pressure.

Whatever your definition of organic matter may be, the above should fit it.

The working man's view. God in His infinite wisdom put it there, by whatever means humans may or may not understand and the same for His reasons. That's what most folks I know believe.

 

[2manyrocks]

I was thinking of two older gentlemen today that totally disagreed about a matter without being personally disagreeable to each other. One of them passed several years ago, but the other I believe is still living.

 

[CDsdad]

If any of my comments have been rude or offending to anyone, I apologize. I'm not trying to take up for BP, Transocean, or Halliburton, as those are the 3 names in the news about the spill.

If I've been diligent to the point of being offensive about defending the crews aboard the Deepwater Horizon, I apologize for being offensive, but not for my diligence. Understand that one of the deceased was more than a former co-worker, he was my friend. We swapped e-mails of family pictures and good-natured barbs about one anothers sports allegiances. I still even have him in my e-mail contacts. Maybe I should quit commenting because it hits so close to home.

I know there are other members and visitors on here that work offshore or on land in the oil and gas industry. All I ask is for everyone to please remember the guys that did not and did get off the Horizon. Some of the survivors I've spoken with were almost to the point of feeling guilty they survived, because they couldn't rescue their friends and coworkers from an inferno. These people were not cold-blooded executives in business suits with an eye on the dividend per share. They were people just like a lot of us on here with hopes, dreams, families, and plans for the future. Sorry if I've gone on too long. Thanks.