REMINDER: Katrina oil spills may be among worst on record (113 offshore platforms destroyed)

# The Guardian,
# Friday September 16 2005

The oil pollution in the wake of Hurricane Katrina could be among the worst recorded in North America, officials trying to coordinate the clean-up say. The US coastguard, which is responsible for the marine environment, said yesterday more than 6.5 million gallons of crude oil had been spilt in at least seven major incidents. The previous worst spill in US waters was the 11m gallons in Alaskan waters from the Exxon Valdez in 1989.

"This is a major event," said Lieutenant Colonel Glynn Smith of the coastguard in New Orleans. "Things are going well, but three-quarters of the oil from the spills has not yet been recovered."

The figure does not include petrol and oil spilt from up to 250,000 cars which have been submerged, or that spilt from hundreds of petrol stations. The coastguard says it has received almost 400 reports of spills, the vast majority of which have not been assessed.

<snip>

As the US Army Corps of Engineers put out barriers to prevent oil getting into Lake Pontchartrain, there were new concerns that many some of the region's toxic waste dumps could also be leaking dangerous chemicals. "We worry that most of the city of New Orleans could end up being a toxic waste site," said Erik Olson, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defence council.

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2005/sep/16/usnews.hurricanekatrina



Also:

Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Hurricane Katrina - Gulf of Mexico Oil Spills

Speaking of oil spills, SkyTruth images revealed significant spills covering a large area of the northern Gulf of Mexico in the wake of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. At the time, nobody was talking about what had happened to the 4,000 offshore oil platforms - and 34,000 miles of pipeline on the seafloor - when Katrina ripped through the Gulf as a Cat 5 storm, followed a few weeks later by Hurricane Rita. Attention was rightly focused on the unfolding human tragedy, as well as the 7-9 million gallons of oil spilled from damaged pipelines, refineries and storage tanks onshore.



But for months after the storms, officials from government and industry repeatedly claimed that there were no "significant" spills in the Gulf. That line is still heard even now. Yet in May 2006, the U.S. Minerals Management Service published their offshore damage assessment: 113 platforms totally destroyed, and - more importantly - 457 pipelines damaged, 101 of those major lines with 10" or larger diameter. At least 741,000 gallons were spilled from 124 reported sources (the Coast Guard calls anything over 100,000 gallons a "major" spill).

Wells and platforms were shut down before the storm, so leakage from those facilities was minimal. Pipelines were shut down too. But what the officials failed to mention is they don't require industry to "purge" pipelines before a severe storm - so they were probably still loaded with oil, gas or liquid gas condensate. Any section of pipeline that was breached leaked all of that product into the Gulf within hours of the storm. That's what we think accounts for the widespread slicks seen on the imagery from September 1 and 2, covering hundreds of square miles and obviously emanating from many points of origin. These slicks dispersed after several days of high winds offshore, as shown by our followup imagery taken on September 12, but a few problems remained as evidenced by ongoing leaks from wrecked platforms.

More:
http://blog.skytruth.org/2007/12/hurricane-katrina-gulf-of-mexico-oil.html

And:


AS KATRINA OIL SPILLS MOUNT, CONGRESS CALLS FOR MORE COASTAL DRILLING
Six Million Gallons Pour Out So Far, Ranking Among Largest U.S. Oil Accidents

NEW YORK (September 15, 2005) -- Nearly six million gallons of oil pouring out of seven pipelines and coastal storage tanks ruptured by Hurricane Katrina amount to one of the largest U.S. oil spills in history. Yet despite this disaster-within-a-disaster, lawmakers in Washington are saying we should open up vast new areas of our nation's shoreline to more coastal oil drilling, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

"These spills should be a clear reminder of the inevitable risks that come with coastal drilling, especially in areas prone to hurricanes and tropical storms," said Lisa Speer, senior policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council and an expert on marine environments. "Katrina is a giant warning sign for anyone thinking about coastal oil production in their area."

Suggesting that soaring energy prices might be Katrina's "silver lining," Texas Republican Congressman Joe Barton told reporters last week that "we could be drilling off the coasts of several other states."

<snip>

Major spills so far involve facilities owned by Shell, Chevron, Murphy Oil and Bass Enterprises Production. Offshore, nearly 40 drilling rigs have been destroyed. Some washed up on local beaches, one crashed into a bridge, while others simply disappeared.

More:
http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressreleases/050915.asp


And:

44 oil spills found in southeast Louisiana
Largest is nearly 4 million gallons, most big ones are on Mississippi River

By Miguel Llanos
Reporter
MSNBC
updated 8:14 a.m. ET, Mon., Sept. 19, 2005


More than 500 specialists are working to clean up 44 oil spills ranging from several hundred gallons to nearly 4 million gallons, the U.S. Coast Guard said in an assessment that goes far beyond initial reports of just two significant spills.

<snip>

The Coast Guard estimates more than 7 million gallons of oil were spilled from industrial plants, storage depots and other facilities around southeast Louisiana.

That is about two-thirds as much oil as spilled from the Exxon Valdez tanker in 1989. But unlike the oil from the Valdez, which poured from a single source, these oil spills are scattered at sites throughout southeast Louisiana.

<snip>

Skytruth, a group that uses satellite imagery to track environmental damage, says extensive oil slicks are visible in areas of the Gulf raked by hurricane-force winds.

More:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9365607/

It'll increase the disaster many fold. A major spill near the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current would smear SW Florida, the Keys, and the East Coast.

Failure to regulate the oil industires is another huge mistake of this administration.

and he repeated this bullshit that none of the oil rigs in the Gulf were damaged during Katrina.

cars. right next to the sea wall with waves topping it.. beginning to flood the lot..

the news people laughed and said, there wasnt a car there a while ago..

Runaway oil rig smashes into bridge
August 30, 2005 - 10:05AM

The rig tore free of its moorings as Hurricane Katrina lashed the Alabama coast before surging downriver and smashing into the suspension bridge.
Photo: AFP

More:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/runaway-oil-rig-smashes-into-bridge/2005/08/30/1125302539428.html

Also:





This oil rig beached just off of Dauphin Island, Alabama, last month after Hurricane Katrina brought the enormous structure a few hundred metres from shore.
http://thomko.squarespace.com/display/ShowJournal?moduleId=209208&categoryId=35430



?userId=30265&fileId=138417
Both the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Coast Guard and Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service are coordinating efforts with BP and other agencies on the ongoing operations to right the listing Thunder Horse semisubmersible platform. Thunder Horse is located 150 miles southeast of New Orleans, in Mississippi Canyon Block.
http://technorati.com/tag/petroleum


There are 20 oil rigs which are missing from the Gulf of Mexico and at least one oil pipeline, where a rig was located that has ruptured and is on fire.

Firefighters are not even going to try to put it out, as they say the fire will eventualy burn out, but noone knows what happened to the oil rigs.


Two of the Louisiana tanker terminals hit by the hurricane, Port Fourchon (shown below) and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, both handled more than 20 percent of all the crude oil imported into the United States.

More:
http://thomko.squarespace.com/display/ShowJournal?moduleId=209208&categoryId=35430


Oil price surge boosts BP profits
A giant oil rig beached by Hurricane Katrina Oil giant BP has reported a 25% increase in annual profits on the back of rising crude prices.

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/09/27/oilrig_wideweb__430x279,1.jpg

More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/business/4688106.stm




Down but not out: an oil rig damaged by Hurricane Katrina {credit: Philip Gould/Corbis}
http://www.the-american-interest.com/ai2/article.cfm?Id=269&MId=1


Katrina cripples 95% of gulf's oil production
By Elliot Blair Smith, USA TODAY


An oil rig broken from its moorings rests on the beach at Fort Morgan, Ala.
By Tony Giberson, Gannett News Service/Pensacola (Fla.) News-Journal

More:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2005-08-30-katrina2-refinery-usat_x.htm




More on rig damage and structural integrity

<snip>

And, via comments on TheOilDrum, check these Rigzone before and after photos of the Chevron Typhoon Tension Leg Platform. Yikes. Makes the damage in the below picture look minor. As I recall, the Typhoon was sunk when another rig broke loose, slammed into it, and severed a major support. The insurance companies will be arguing about liability and suing each other for years over the Katrina/Rita claims.

Meanwhile, 99% of oil and 80% of natural gas production in the Gulf is shut in (offline.)



More:
http://polizeros.com/2005/09/30/more-on-rig-damage-and-structural-integrity/




Chevron Says Typhoon TLP Suffers Damage During Hurricane Rita
Monday, September 26, 2005 - Initial assessments have revealed that the Typhoon tension leg platform (located in 2,000 feet of water in the Green Canyon area approximately 165 miles south-southwest of New Orleans) was severed from its mooring and suffered severe damage during the storm.

Before:


After:


More:
http://rigzone.com/news/image_detail.asp?img_id=2579&a_id=25509

Hmmmm... I think part of the oil rig might be missing in that last photo. Can't put my finger on it...




Update on Hurricane Katrina's Damage to the Gulf Oil Patch

Repercussions of ominous hurricane impact on the Gulf oil infrastructure. Remedies discussed, including emergency spending on alternative energy technologies. Ramifications spread affecting employment in other industries, agricultural production, etc..



More:
http://pesn.com/2005/09/11/9600163_Katrina_Oil_Aftermath/




Many rigs, refineries KO'd: 'It's a mess'
By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 17, 2005

Some 6 miles off Port Fourchon, La., the stunted remains of a 50-foot-high oil production platform protrude from the water at an awkward angle. They are surrounded by the flat, glassy surface of a calm Gulf of Mexico.

"The rest of it is below the water, underneath us," says Steve Shook, veteran charter boat captain and diver. Passengers peer over the side and can detect the vague outlines of twisted metal in the depths.



Only the top of an oil rig owned by Marlin Energy is visible in a drilling sector off Louisiana. Less than three weeks ago, the Gulf of Mexico was a maelstrom, roiled by Hurricane Katrina's 175 mph winds. In one sector alone, six of 13 platforms were lost and two more are leaning, says Mark Pregeant,
who will help oversee reconstruction.



Natural gas bubbles up from a well that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Damaged wells will have to be capped and miles of pipelines on the bottom of the gulf inspected and repaired. In some sectors, work is already under way, corralling spills and skimming oil off the surface.


A tangle of twisted metal sheets and pipes, this oil rig off Grand Isle, La., bears the scars of Hurricane Katrina.


More:
http://g2.palmbeachpost.com/storm/content/nation/epaper/2005/09/17/m1a_oilrig_0917.html

and the one under the bridge? Just a more efficient use of an oil platform-it drills AND it aids the infrastructure

See THAT surge worked TOO!!!!\


:sarcasm: as if I need to say that :sarcasm:

:kick:

And the MSM doesn't call them on it. It's enough to make you pull your hair out.