Deepwater Horizon (movie)

[Rickybobby]

Watched the movie last night, very intense. Kinda of crazy what we do to get the black gold. Wondered how close it was played to the actual events??

Interesting read....
http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...rizon_but_its_mistake_was_actually_years.html

 

[wsuwrhr]

Yes, hopefully Was that guy will come out from the political section and provide some insight.

 

[stephenkatsea]

It is factual that every single one of the 115 survivors were rescued by the M/V Damon Bankston and its 13 man crew. The Bankston was holding position under the rig with their liquid mud hose hooked up to the rig to receive drilling fluids that had been "down the hole", when the disaster took place. The quick and positive response by the Capt and crew saved those 115 lives. The Bankston was holding position on DP (dynamic positioning accomplished by computers and thrusters). The Capt ordered the crew to disconnect the large liquid mud hose which held them tethered to the rig. He moved out from under the rig and immediately began launching the Bankston's 2 rescue boats. These are nothing exotic, about 18' long, typically manned by 3 people and powered by an outboard. From these small boats the crew of the Bankston pulled many from the water while other crew members were bringing the rescue rafts and boats of the Deepwater Horizon alongside the Bankston and the survivors onto the deck of the Bankston. No easy task even in good sea conditions. They set up a triage to care for the injured. About 9 of the most severely injured were evac'd via USCG helios that were first on the scene to assist the Bankston. Although other faster vessels were available to take survivors to shore, they all stayed together and remained on the Bankston, about a 12 knot vessel. The galley was crewed and stocked for just the 13 man crew. Over 100 additional people were now there. The cook and crew put together numerous pots full of the Gulf of Mexico fav, red beans and rice and fed all of the survivors. The crew gave their rooms and bunks to many of the survivors. Some of the guys had jumped from the rig only in their underwear. Some of the Bankston gave them clothes. On the way back to port (Port Fourchon LA) they made about 2 stops at other offshore rigs for additional bottled water and tobacco products. Various Fed and State officials also boarded the Bankston and rode in with the crew and survivors. Some of these officials conducted drug and alcohol of crew members and survivors as they transited to port. Alwin Landry was Capt of the Damon
Bankston. He and his crew received much deserved awards from the USCG and other Intl Maritime Agencies for the fantastic job they did that night.

 

[JB in so cal]

...you sound like you know of what you speak lol

 

[stephenkatsea]

...you sound like you know of what you speak lol

And a Happy New Year to you and Lisa.

 

[stephenkatsea]

Also maybe of interest to some, a rig such as the Deepwater Horizon is considered a vessel. It is free floating , has its own propulsion and station keeping (DP) capability. The Captain of a rig like this is referred to as a "Barge Captain". Although, they typically hold an Unlimited Ocean Master's license. The Captain of the rig that day was Curt Kuchta. He was responsible for the "maritime end" of the operation (station keeping, stability, loading and off loading of supplies and fluids). The female, as depicted in the movie, was the DP Operator, responsible for operating and observing the systems which held the rig on station. The DP operator typically holds an Unlimited Third Mate's license or higher plus DP Operator certification. Captain Kuchta did try to activate the BOP that night. It did not activate, which meant the rig remained connected to the well as the blowout progressed. When Capt Kuchta (Kuchta was one of the last to jump from the burning rig. He was able to swim to a life raft which was rescued by the Bankston. When he came aboard the Bankston he immediately located Capt Landry and informed him of the failure of the BOP to disconnect. So the burning rig they were floating near remained connected to the well which was blowing out.

 

[was thatguy]

Yes, hopefully Was that guy will come out from the political section and provide some insight.

I actually have not seen the movie yet. I do know certain facts about the chain of events leading to the disaster.
My best friend who also has 30 years in the industry told me a brief synopsis of the film, and he more or less said it "basically" followed the chain of events.

I'm going to watch it and get back to you about my thoughts on it.
The article linked does touch on some interesting truths...one being that it can be very difficult to have your voice heard when you are disagreeing with a Company Man, Federal Hand, cementers, engineers, etc.
it is very EASY for the "brain trust" to all agree on a plan forward and to minimize indicators that something may be "wrong" downhole.
I've seen many times when casing integrity tests, for example, are repeated more than a few times until the desired results are recorded. It's easy to convince yourself that it's just a float or simple valve or diverter leak showing up on the test chart.
It's easy to open and close a diverter bag over and over until it tests.
You add all these little things up, then throw in a little volume miscalculation on a cement job and bang...mother nature is coming to call.

 

[Meaney77]

Just got done watching it, good movie definitely worth checking out!

Pretty crazy I remember all of this happening back in 2010 but didnt really pay to close attention to it at the time. I have a new appreciation of what a disaster that was.

 

[BarbieHunter]

I work in the industry, I worked for BP, I was on the closest facility to the incident, the Nakika. I received the actual mayday calls over my vhf at my desk. My platform became the triage hospital for the critically injured who were either picked up directly out of the water or from M/V Damon Bankston. We were also the fuel stop for Coast Guard choppers performing search grids, musty have given close to 20,000 gal of fuel over the following days as we had a fast boat full of 550gal totes delivered to us the following morning. I didn't sleep for well over 48 hours and I remember watching the platform burn as we were only 14 miles away and then eventually sink. We immediately had to shut in our export lines in fear that it would sink and land on our infrastructure. My earlier years, 420 had a different meaning than it does now. It's a day that my family as well as the whole industry reflects on the tragedy. The movie is accurate as far as life on the rig, and the closeness of the crew. I feel that there is some agenda in the making, but none the less, very very appreciative that the story gets told for the 11 individuals sake.