Oil excavation is one of the deadliest professions across all other occupations in the modern commercial industry. Owing to the highly volatile nature of natural fuels before processing and extreme environmental conditions, nearly 51.7% of all the people working in excavation are fatally injured on the job. This figure points out how dangerous working on an oil rig can be and sometimes, these accidents are so devastating that we remember them throughout history.
There has been no shortage of oil-rig disasters in the history of the industry. At each of these events, a lot of people died and companies lost a lot of money in the process. These instances tell us that there is a greater need to make the industry safer and improve working conditions through the use of high-quality equipment that can help minimize the risks associated with working on an oil rig.
Having said that, let’s take a look at some of the work oil rig accidents in history:
The DP Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico
Deepwater Horizon was a deep water offshore drilling rig owned by British Petroleum and set up at the Macondo exploration well. The whole set up cost BP about $350 million and after the disaster cost the company $65 billion in clean-up and law suit settlements.
The explosion was caused by a blast of natural gas through the concrete walls of the well that injured 126 workers and killed 11 people. The resulting oil spill lasted for 87 days until the well was capped, spilling four million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
CP Baker Drilling Barge Disaster, Gulf of Mexico
Back in 1964, CP Baker was drilling its 22nd hole after construction in the Gulf Mexico—about 170 kilometers south of New Orleans. While the crew was still preparing to begin the excavation procedure, the water around the hull began boiling and forced itself through the hull of the barge.
A few minutes after, an explosion occured that killed 8 people and injured 22, while 13 people went missing. Investigations after the explosion revealed that the explosion had created three massive craters that were 20 feet across.
Enchova Central Platform Disaster, Brazil
The Enchova Central Platform in Brazil was the site of two separate disasters—the first caused in 1984 and the other in 1988. Both of these accidents were caused by blowouts, while the one in 1984 led to the deaths of 42 people. After the accident in 1988, the platform was consistently on fire for a month and required two relief wells to contain the blowout.
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