BP Reveals 'Fundamental Mistake' on Oil Well

Although the memo identifies some of the problems that led to these mistakes, it doesn't identify who made the key decisions

Would it be soem "higher up" or one of the 11 working on the floor that dies? I just am wondering what type position makes these decisions.

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most likely on of the drillers on the floor if I had to guess, but that is not scripture either, so take it how u want it

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Seriously doubt this. Drillers would have worked for Transocean. I don't know how they're organized, but it would have been some BP official; an engineer or the BP management on site.

This is a BP cultural issue. Yes there is a lot of talk about safety being #1, but that is belied by safety coming in #2 to practical expediency too often. Whoever made the decision knows that the well is late; there's been a lot of pressure to get it done and that there is a big contingent of high level executives who are either there or will be soon. That person knows that bad news isn't good for him, or at the very least he certainly thinks that. He (it could be a group decision) ignores the first test and accepts the second, but how do you know which is right? Could even be both. Hope takes over at that point, but at no point did these people think that this would happen. The culture created the environment where these risks were created and accepted.

It's hard to say because we don't know exactly the course of events that happened.

We know they were taking a kick. We don't know for how long they'd been having downhole issues. Generally in a situation where you're taking a kick, you'll have your normal rig floor crew (driller, assistant driller, several roughnecks, etc.), a tool pusher or OIM for the drilling contractor, and a BP company representative has to be on the rig floor while taking the kick, because essentially, BP is top dog on the rig. There would have been contact with the drilling superintendant in BP's corporate office notifying them of the kick.

We know that there wasn't a BP rep on the drill floor at the time, so you could assume that there wasn't evidence of a kick prior and it just came up on them at the last moment.

I've read otherwise, but that's not really the point.

Just take everything I just posted with a grain of salt. While what I described is pretty close to SOP, without all the details, it's nothing but assumptions.

Summary: BP would have been calling the shots. On location, his title is Drill Site Manager, or Company man.

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i just cannot believe that anyone in a leadership position on that rig (co. man, toolpusher, driller, etc) would have elected to go forward w/ displacing to SW if they understood that the well was not totally secure.

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That's what I'm having a hard time with also. If BP decided to push forward despite the negative test results, you'd think that a TO pusher or OIM would have stepped up and used a SWA. I've worked for BP before, and know that they utilize that practice.

(Not saying BP did this, just using it as an example)

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i just cannot believe that anyone in a leadership position on that rig (co. man, toolpusher, driller, etc) would have elected to go forward w/ displacing to SW if they understood that the well was not totally secure.

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Even with my VERY limited knowledge I know that in anything that I was doing, if there was ANY sign of danger I wouldn't go forward. I am sure it's not that simple though here.


Also, when they talk toolpusher, driller, mud engineer ...what type of education as far as formal education? Is it mainly on the job training that they have had through the years? What are the "professional" positions on the rig I guess is my question ... not that a "professional education" always means much. Just curious ...

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Summary: BP would have been calling the shots. On location, his title is Drill Site Manager

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Does anyone know name of who was the Drill Site Manager ?

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Also, when they talk toolpusher, driller, mud engineer ...what type of education as far as formal education

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It really depends.

Toolpushers usually come up through the ranks with drilling companies, starting as a roustabout and working up from there. Generally, it's hands on training for these positions.

Drillers are the same thing, just a few notches under the pusher. From a driller, you'd usually go to night toolpusher, then lead pusher (that's the normal progression).

Mud engineers are trained by the mud company they hire on with. Baker has a really good school in Houston they send you to when you hire on, course is 4 - 6 weeks. Your sole responsibility when a mud eng is the mud weights and properties, and all chemical additives. They are there to make sure you're really putting 12.6 mud into the formation when you want to put 12.6 mud in.

The BP company men (drill site managers) could have come up through the ranks, or they could have a degree. Some are engineers, some aren't. You don't necessarily have to have a degree to be a DSM. Most of the older DSM's have come up through the ranks with a drilling company before they hired on with a oil company.

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BP now says there was a clear warning sign of a "very large abnormality" in the well,

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that abnormality was when they saw chunks of rubber coming across the shakers. those chunks were actually chunks of the annular. they should have stopped operations at that point.

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you'd think that a TO pusher or OIM would have stepped up and used a SWA

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Sorry about that. I get carried away sometimes.

You'd think that a Transocean pusher or OIM (offshore installation manager - different terminalogy for the same position) would have stepped up and used a Stop Work Authority.

I can't speak for what happened on the rig. I can tell you that the company I work for uses SWA's, and encourages anyone on one of their facilities to shut down the job if they are uncomfortable, or think it might be unsafe.

Most major's use this program. Idea behind it is that anyone, regardless of position, on any job, can shut that job down without any reprecussions to that person, or their company.

I've been on many many jobs where someone shut the job down, and we held a safety meeting to go over whatever the issue was. Sometimes it's been that a person didn't understand his role enough, so they went over it again. Sometimes it's for a safety reason.

Point being: If the cook goes to the company man and says he's uncomfortable or feels unsafe because of something, the job will be shut down and his concerns will be addressed, and nothing will happend to him because he was uncomfortable with it.

I know it's not perfect out there, and with that much testerone on location, people are going to but heads. It's inevitable. But there are procedures in place to deal with a difference of opinion, and for the most part, they are effective.