Deepwater Horizon Family Review

A dramatization of the disaster in April 2010, when the offshore drilling rig called the Deepwater Horizon exploded, resulting in the worst oil spill in American history.In April 2010, there is no oil exploration operation in the Gulf of Mexico to compare with the Deepwater Horizon oil rig with its size or sheer depth of its drilling. However, the project for the BP oil company is beset with technical difficulties to the point where the general operational supervisor, Jimmy Harrell, and his Chief Electrical Engineer, Mike Williams, are concerned potentially dangerous trouble is brewing. Unfortunately, visiting BP executives, frustrated by the project's long delays, order curtailed site inspections and slanted system tests to make up for lost time even as Harrell, Williams and his team helplessly protest for the sake of proper safety. On April 20, the workers' fears are realized in the worst possible way when the rig's various structural and system flaws spark a catastrophic cascade of failures that would create a massive blowout and explosion that threatens them all, even as it also begins the worst environmental disaster in US history.—Kenneth Chisholm ([email protected])April 20, 2010. Manned by 126 crew-members, the semi-submersible, offshore oil-drilling rig, Deepwater Horizon, is free-floating over the Gulf of Mexico, 41 miles south-east of the Louisiana Coast. But, before long, Chief electronics technician, Mike Williams, and the seasoned rig supervisor, Jimmy Harrell, are shocked to discover that the standard procedure regarding the cement foundation, the only thing between the rig and a blowout, has been bypassed by orders of BP's executives, Donald Vidrine and Robert Kaluza. Clueless about the stability of the well, and whether the integrity of the concrete has been compromised or not, the greedy managers push to start pumping, intent on cutting expenses, and disaster strikes. As a result, an endless chain of malfunctions transforms the Deepwater Horizon into a blazing inferno, while Williams and Harrell heroically struggle to rescue their shipmates in the worst oil disaster in the U.S. history that lasted 87 nightmarish days.—Nick RiganasOn April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon, an oil drilling rig operated by private contractor Transocean, is set to begin drilling off the southern coast of Louisiana on behalf of BP. Chief Electronics Technician Michael "Mike" Williams and Offshore Installation Manager James "Mr. Jimmy" Harrell are surprised to learn that the workers assigned to test the integrity of recently completed cement work are being sent home early, without conducting a cement bond log (CBL), at the insistence of BP managers Donald Vidrine and Robert Kaluza. While Mike prepares the drilling team, including Caleb Holloway, Harrell meets with Vidrine and persuades him to conduct a test, which only serves to weaken the already poorly placed cement further. His patience thinning, and without waiting for Harrell to confirm the results, Vidrine orders the well to be flowed.