2. Read the case carefully and answer the questions given at the end. (10 Marks) Case Study Gulf Oil Spill On April 20, 2010, the Deepwa microbe species were already adapted to metabolize all. Anda ter Horizon, which was drilling the government study concluded that nearly three-quarters of the oil Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico was either recovered at the wellhead, dispersed dissolved, evapo just of the Louisiana court exploded, rated, broken up by chemical treatments, burned, or skimmed from burned, and sank (see photo, opposite the ocean surface. page. The well was in early a mile (1.600m) The use of chemical dispersants remains controversial. Alto of water and had reached oil at a depth of 13.360 (4.100 m) gether, BP sprayed about 1.8 million gallons (6.8 million liters) below the seafloor when a bubble of methane gas shot up through of a chemical mixture called Corexit either on the ocean surface the drill pipe, cepanding quickly as it rose and bursting into flume or next to the gushing wellhead. This solvent mixture is known when it reached the surface. The scals and safety burriers designed to be toxic, although no one knows what the effects of sacha to prevent escaping yas failed. Aferming for how a day, the large amount in the ocean will be. The dispersant was successful 5560 million drill rig capsired and sank. Eleven workers were in preventing much of the oil from reaching the shore, where it Lilled and 17 others were injured would have been a public relations mightmare for BP, but it also Crude oil gushed out of the ruptured drill pipe BP, the com created huge plumes of tiny oil droplets deep under water where pany that owned the well, claimed the spill was about 5,000 har it may be more to fish and other a life than if it had been sols per day, but others said that on the surface it was at least ten times as much Immediately after the spill the Despite a number of efforts by BP companies involved began blaming to cap the well or te inject heavy cach other. Although BP owned the drilling med to stop the flow oil well, they had subcontracted with continued to pour into the Gulf Transocean, which owned the Deep Finally, after four months of drill water Horizon, to do the drilling ing, a relief well intersected the while Halliburton supplied the drilling damaged borehole just above the med, cement, and other supplies. Both spot at which it entered there subcontractors claimed that BP pres- ervoit. This allowed engineers to sured them to take shortcuts and avoid pump cement into the bottom of safety warnings to cut costs. One of the well and scalit permanently the most critical errors was to use Altogether it's estimated that defective owo preventer on the about 5 million bums (800 mil well. This apparatus is a giant valve lions of oil were released into the that's supposed to be the last line of Gull, making this the largest ci- defense, with huge shears that can cul dental marine oil spill in world his- of the well and prevent a usher. But tory. It was about 30 times as much the one BP chose had a dead hattery oil as was pled in the wreck FIGURE 10.1 Thousands of id, tuities, and more on debilitating hydraulic system leaks, of the Eco Valdez in Alusa in contaminated by crude oil from the Macando well in the Gulf of Marica and shears that weren't strong enough 1989. We don't yet know the total to seal the well. It had failed several impact of this disader, but the effects on marine life, fishing and crucial safety tests, but was used anyway tourism (which bring in about $34 billion annually to Golf States) A government investigative committee concluded that all could be tragic and long-lasting. Six months after the spill, the Fish three firms made had choices. Whether purposeful or not, man and Wildlife Service reported that 6.100 birds, 610 sea turtles, and of the decisions that BP. Halliburton, and Transocean made that 100 dolphins died from oil contamination (fig. 19.11. It's estimated increased the risk of the Macondo blowout clearly saved these that 20 percent of the juvenile ei tuna in the Gulf were killed by companies significant time and money)" Discovery of offshore il protein one of the species' most important pawning areas deposits has substantially increased our oil and gas supplies, but This could be a crew an already endangered population Our addiction to fossil fuel is forcing us to look in ever med On the other hand, several factors may reduce ecological dam perces and expensive places for energy age from the spill. The oil was released in deep water so it had a much greater chance to dispense than if it were in shallow, coastal water. Furthermore, the Gulf water is warm, which speeds up evap After reading the case answer the questions given bellow oration and metabolism by microorganisms. The Gulf has nota- ral seeps that release about 1.000 barrels of oil per day, so many Question No. 2: Identify and explain the main issue in the case, and according to your understanding which company made this mistake, and how it is harmful for the environment? Question No. 3: Recommend few measures companies should take to avoid these types of incidents. Furthermore, the measures you are suggesting why they are important