What went wrong?

The BP report identifies eight key elements The key times

in the Deepwater Horizon drilling operation -
20 April 9.40pm 20 April 9.49pm
each of which could have prevented the disaster Report: ‘The fire and
Report: ‘This
overwhelmed gas system did not
the … system’ prevent … ignition’
1 The cement that was supposed to 6 7 2 The cement and valve at the bottom
stop oil and gas reaching the well pipe of the drill pipe failed to stop oil and gas
casing did not work. The report blames bursting into the well pipe
the type of cement used
5
Well pipe metal Float collar Well
casing (one-way valve) pipe
Cement fills and shoe track
Deepwater Horizon Report: ‘If fluids cement
‘annulus’ gap had been diverted
rig
overboard … Shoe
d track
ile
consequences
i led may have been
Fa
Fa reduced’

Oil and gas Oil and gas

Riser

3 Staff misread a key pressure test 4 Oil and gas were now pouring up the
thinking high readings were an error well, but it took 40 minutes for this to be
noticed

20 April 8.50pm 4 Riser carries oil to rig

Report: ‘Rig crew
d
ile did not recognise
Fa the influx’

Oil and gas flowing

Key test involved filling the unnoticed
kill line to check pressure
on the drill. Because the Blowout
line was blocked, no fluids preventer il ed
escaped - leading staff to
assume everything
Fa
was working correctly
8 20 April 9.56pm
Report:
20 April 7.55pm 3 ‘Weaknesses
Report: ‘Site in the testing
leaders reached regime and
the incorrect view’ Blowout
maintenance preventer
management’
Sea floor at 5,000 feet
5 Once oil and gas started flooding to 6 The oil and gas ‘vented directly on to
the surface, they were not diverted the rig’. This made an explosion was
overboard but swept on to the rig inevitable

Drill pipe

ed il ed
il Fa
Fa
Cloud of gas spreads
around the rig and under
Oil and gas the deck
should have
been directed
overboard

7 The fire prevention system on the rig 8 The ‘failsafe’ blowout preventer
failed. The report says the ‘heating, (BOP) failed. Fire on the rig stopped it
ventilation and air conditioning system being remotely shut down, while an
… transferred a gas-rich mixture into the automated system also failed. The BOP
engine rooms’. Two huge explosions had flat batteries in one control pod and
followed, killing 11 crew members a faulty solenoid valve in another

il ed
Fa
Gas ignites,
destroying the rig
il ed
Fa
Oil-bearing rock at 18,000 feet

19 April 7.30pm–12.36am 1 Multiple cutoff

Report: ‘There were devices should
weaknesses in cement 2 have shut off the
design’ 20 April 4.50pm flow of oil and gas
Report: ‘The investigation automatically
team identified … failure’

SOURCE: BP DRAWINGS NOT TO SCALE