Deepwater Horizon Crisis Report

Dear Audience Name: BP Shareholders, politicians, lenders, and respective government agencies,

Subject: This report will detail solutions to the technical issues surrounding the Deepwater Horizon disaster to be given to shareholders, politicians, lenders, and government agencies.

I have prepared this preliminary report on the problems that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The Deepwater Horizon disaster is the worst oil related disaster in the US. The disaster cost 11 people their lives and untold damage to the environment. The purpose of this report is to clearly define the core technical issues facing BP as a result of the disaster, examine BP’s crisis communication effectiveness, discuss and provide BP with technical and communication

At this time, we know and accept responsibility for our part in the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The oilrig was the source of many technical issues. These technical issues led to an explosion killing 11 people and a devastating oil spill contributing to catastrophic environmental, economical, and financial effects. We are working with the Energy and Commerce Committee Investigation, the United States Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy and other governmental agencies concerning the technical faults that will later be described in the report. As a result of this disaster, several unconsidered consequences occurred. The magnitude of the environmental consequences resulting from the disaster had never been considered. The oil will have a devastating effect on the environment for years to come. This will affect not only the wildlife in the area, but also the people who depend upon it for their livelihoods. Therefore, the magnitude of the economic aspect also was under-considered. It had never been considered by insurance companies that an oilrig could completely sink. There were a series of questionable technical issues. Some of these issues will be briefly touched upon in this report with recommendations for

There were several things that as a collective led to the disaster. The process of closing a well is intricate. The Macondo well provided more intricate due to costs, time, personnel, and safety issues. There are six major technical issues that directed to this disaster. The first issue is the casing design. The well casing designs for the wells are drilled in sections through the rock at the bottom of the ocean. Cement secures each section before an additional section is drilled. The final section is sealed either with a liner or a casing string. Despite BP’s own recommendation in Forward Plan Review, BP chose to use the long string option in an effort to cut cost and save time (Ingersoll, Locke, & Reavis, 2012). In fact, there was internal knowledge by BP that the casing design had significant issues T.O. Discoverer Enterprise and should have been further researched in an effort to prevent any other future accidents (United States Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service, 2010). The second significant technical issue was in the cement design. It is suggested by Haliburton, BP was made aware of the cement design would be insufficient to secure the well (U.S. District Court, 2010). At this time, we don’t have any information on the validity of this claim. It is being internally investigated and information will be disclosed as it becomes available. BP was