The Explosion Onboard Transocean’s Deepwater Horizon Drilling Rig: Facts and Figures

By Sue Sturgis
Global Research, May 07, 2010
Institute for Southern Studies 29 April 2010
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Date of the explosion and fire onboard Transocean’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico: 4/20/2010

Distance of the rig, which was being used by BP, from the Louisiana coast when the disaster occurred: 41 miles

Size of the crew at the time of the blast: 126

Number of crew members who remain missing: 11

Date on which a lawsuit was filed by a missing worker’s wife claiming negligence on the part of Transocean, BP and Halliburton, which was cementing the well when the explosion occurred: 4/27/2010

Number of deaths associated with offshore drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico since 2001: 69

Number of injuries: 1,349

Number of reports issued by the U.S. Minerals Management Service documenting non-compliant offshore drilling operations: 150

Time period during which MMS said it saw “no discernible improvement by industry” in terms of safety: 7 years

Frequency with which MMS wants operators to have their safety programs audited: every 3 years

Number of letters oil companies have sent protesting the proposed regulations, citing the expense: over 100

Profits earned by BP in 2009: $14 billion

Number of oil spills of over 2,100 gallons that have occurred in the Gulf over the past decade: 172

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s current estimate of the amount of oil being leaked from the Gulf disaster site: 5,000 barrels a day

Factor by which that surpasses the previous estimate: 5 times

Square miles the slick is now covering: more than 2,200

Date on which cleanup crews conducted a “controlled burn” to help reduce risks from the oil slick: 4/28

Date on which official forecasts say the oil slick may begin impacting the Louisiana shoreline: 4/30

Number of Louisiana fishermen who packed a meeting this morning to help pinpoint locations for oil containment rings: nearly 200

Rank of the threatened area among those with the largest total seafood landings in the lower 48 states: 1

Percent of the nation’s wild shrimp crop the area produces: 50

Number of species put in harm’s way by the spill: more than 400

Current estimated cost of the disaster: at least $1 billion
Articles by: Sue Sturgis

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