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On April 18, 2010, a Schlumberger crew was sent to the Deepwater Horizon for the purpose of conducting a cement bond log test. On April 20, BP cancelled the test and sent the crew home to save time and cut costs (at the time, Deepwater Horizon was 43 days past due, costing BP $21 million). Had the Schlumberger crew been allowed to conduct their test, they might have found that the cement job was improperly set, which would have required it to be redone for safety purposes. As it were, the lack of integrity in the cement job led to a blowout and thus the explosion and oil spill. What if the Schlumberger crew had been permitted to run their test, and found the cement job to be unsatisfactory? What would be the effect on:
  • The ecology of the Gulf Coast
  • The oil industry, particularly in the Gulf
  • The political view of oil drilling in the Gulf and abroad?
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