Macondo Prospect
Encyclopedia
The Macondo Prospect is an oil and gas prospect in the United States
Exclusive Economic Zone
of the Gulf of Mexico
, off the coast of Louisiana
. The prospect was the site of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion
in April 2010 that led to a major oil spill in the region.
in the case of federal waters in the USA. Names in a given year or area might follow a theme such as beverages (e.g., Cognac), heavenly bodies (e.g., Mars), or even cartoon characters (e.g., Bullwinkle
), but usually have no geological or geographical significance to the prospect itself.
The name Macondo had been the winning selection in a BP
employee contest as part of an internal United Way
campaign. It comes from the fictitious cursed town in the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Colombian Nobel Prize-winning writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez
.
Block 252 of the Gulf of Mexico. BP
is the operator and principal developer of the oil field with 90% of interest, the final 10% by MOEX Offshore 2007, a unit of Mitsui
. Originally, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
owned 25% stake but in October 2011 this was transferred to BP as a part of a wider settlement between the companies. The prospect may have held 50 Moilbbl producible reserves of oil. It is 40 miles (64.4 km) offshore and 130 miles (209.2 km) from New Orleans.
in 2003. BP purchased the mineral rights to drill for oil in the Macondo Prospect at the Minerals Management Service
's lease sale in March 2008.
Mapping of the block was carried out by BP America in 2008 and 2009. BP secured approval to drill the Macondo Prospect from MMS in March 2009. An exploration well was scheduled to be drilled in 2009.
On 7 October 2009 the Transocean Marianas semi-submersible
rig commenced drilling, but operations were halted at 4023 feet (1,226.2 m) below the sea floor on 29 November 2009, when the rig was damaged by Hurricane Ida
. The Transocean
Deepwater Horizon
rig resumed drilling operations in February 2010.
approximately 1300 feet (396.2 m) (about a quarter of a mile) northwest of the well.
Following the rig explosion and subsea blowout, BP started a relief well using Transocean's
Development Driller III
on May 2, 2010. The relief well would potentially take up to three months to drill. BP started a second relief well using Transocean's GSF Development Driller II
on May 16, 2010.
The well was successfully sealed off from flow into the sea on August 4, 2010 by a "static kill" (injection of heavy fluids and cement into the wellhead
at the mudline). To further ensure the plugging of the original well, the first relief well established communication with the original wellbore near total depth and injected heavy fluids and cement. These efforts should have completely sealed off the Macondo Prospect well at that point .
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Exclusive Economic Zone
Exclusive Economic Zone
Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...
of the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, off the coast of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The prospect was the site of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
in April 2010 that led to a major oil spill in the region.
Name
Oil companies routinely assign code names to offshore prospects early in the exploration effort. This practice helps ensure secrecy during the confidential pre-sale phase, and later provides convenient names for casual reference rather than the often similar-sounding official lease names denoted by, for example, the Minerals Management ServiceMinerals Management Service
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement , formerly known as the Minerals Management Service , was an agency of the United States Department of the Interior that managed the nation's natural gas, oil and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf...
in the case of federal waters in the USA. Names in a given year or area might follow a theme such as beverages (e.g., Cognac), heavenly bodies (e.g., Mars), or even cartoon characters (e.g., Bullwinkle
Bullwinkle (oil platform)
Bullwinkle is a tall oil platform in Gulf of Mexico. From Bullwinkle Platform are below the waterline. It is located in Manatee Field, approximately southwest of New Orleans. Bullwinkle Platform belongs to Superior Energy Services, Inc., and Dynamic Offshore Resources. Its construction took...
), but usually have no geological or geographical significance to the prospect itself.
The name Macondo had been the winning selection in a BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
employee contest as part of an internal United Way
United Way
The United Way of America, based in Alexandria, Virginia, is a non-profit organization that works with nearly 1,300 local United Way offices throughout the country in a coalition of charitable organizations to pool efforts in fundraising and support...
campaign. It comes from the fictitious cursed town in the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude , by Gabriel García Márquez, is a novel which tells the multi-generational story of the Buendía family, whose patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, founds the town of Macondo, the metaphoric Colombia...
by Colombian Nobel Prize-winning writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
.
Location
The prospect is located in Mississippi CanyonMississippi Canyon
The Mississippi Canyon is an undersea canyon in the Central Gulf of Mexico, south of Louisiana. According to the U.S. Geological Survey GLORIA Mapping Program, it is the dominant feature of the north-central Gulf of Mexico. According to GCAGS Transactions, it has an average width of , and a length...
Block 252 of the Gulf of Mexico. BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
is the operator and principal developer of the oil field with 90% of interest, the final 10% by MOEX Offshore 2007, a unit of Mitsui
Mitsui
is one of the largest corporate conglomerates in Japan and one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world.-History:Founded by Mitsui Takatoshi , who was the fourth son of a shopkeeper in Matsusaka, in what is now today's Mie prefecture...
. Originally, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation is one of the world’s largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies, with approximately 2.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent of proved reserves and production of 206 million BOE as of December 31, 2008. Anadarko employs a worldwide...
owned 25% stake but in October 2011 this was transferred to BP as a part of a wider settlement between the companies. The prospect may have held 50 Moilbbl producible reserves of oil. It is 40 miles (64.4 km) offshore and 130 miles (209.2 km) from New Orleans.
History
A regional shallow hazards survey and study was carried out at the Macondo area by KC Offshore in 1998. High resolution, 2D seismic data along with 3D exploration seismic data of the MC 252 was collected by Fugro GeoservicesFugro
Fugro N.V. is a Dutch multinational company headquartered in Leidschendam. The current president is K.S. Wester.Fugro provides geotechnical, survey and geoscience services to oil, gas, mining and construction industries...
in 2003. BP purchased the mineral rights to drill for oil in the Macondo Prospect at the Minerals Management Service
Minerals Management Service
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement , formerly known as the Minerals Management Service , was an agency of the United States Department of the Interior that managed the nation's natural gas, oil and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf...
's lease sale in March 2008.
Mapping of the block was carried out by BP America in 2008 and 2009. BP secured approval to drill the Macondo Prospect from MMS in March 2009. An exploration well was scheduled to be drilled in 2009.
On 7 October 2009 the Transocean Marianas semi-submersible
Semi-submersible
A semi-submersible is a specialised marine vessel with good stability and seakeeping characteristics. The semi-submersible vessel design is commonly used in a number of specific offshore roles such as for offshore drilling rigs, safety vessels, oil production platforms and heavy lift cranes.The...
rig commenced drilling, but operations were halted at 4023 feet (1,226.2 m) below the sea floor on 29 November 2009, when the rig was damaged by Hurricane Ida
Hurricane Ida (2009)
Hurricane Ida was the strongest landfalling tropical cyclone during the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season, crossing the coastline of Nicaragua with winds of 80 mph . The remnants of the storm became a powerful nor'easter that caused widespread damage along coastal areas of the Mid-Atlantic States...
. The Transocean
Transocean
Transocean Ltd. is one of the world's largest offshore drilling contractors. The company rents floating mobile drill rigs, along with the equipment and personnel for operations, to oil and gas companies at an average daily rate of US$282,700...
Deepwater Horizon
Deepwater Horizon
Deepwater Horizon was an ultra-deepwater, dynamically positioned, semi-submersible offshore oil drilling rig owned by Transocean. Built in 2001 in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the rig was commissioned by R&B Falcon, which later became part of Transocean, registered in Majuro, Marshall...
rig resumed drilling operations in February 2010.
Deepwater Horizon explosion and blowout
An explosion on the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon occurred on April 20, 2010, killing 11 workers. The Deepwater Horizon sank on April 22, 2010, in water approximately 5000 feet (1,524 m) deep, and was located resting on the seafloorSeabed
The seabed is the bottom of the ocean.- Ocean structure :Most of the oceans have a common structure, created by common physical phenomena, mainly from tectonic movement, and sediment from various sources...
approximately 1300 feet (396.2 m) (about a quarter of a mile) northwest of the well.
Following the rig explosion and subsea blowout, BP started a relief well using Transocean's
Transocean
Transocean Ltd. is one of the world's largest offshore drilling contractors. The company rents floating mobile drill rigs, along with the equipment and personnel for operations, to oil and gas companies at an average daily rate of US$282,700...
Development Driller III
Development Driller III
Development Driller III is a fifth generation, Vanuatu-flagged dynamic positioning semi-submersible ultra-deepwater drilling rig owned by Transocean and operated under lease agreements by various petroleum exploration and production companies worldwide...
on May 2, 2010. The relief well would potentially take up to three months to drill. BP started a second relief well using Transocean's GSF Development Driller II
GSF Development Driller II
GSF Development Driller II is a fifth generation, Vanuatu-flagged dynamic positioning semi-submersible ultra-deepwater drilling rig owned and operated by Transocean...
on May 16, 2010.
The well was successfully sealed off from flow into the sea on August 4, 2010 by a "static kill" (injection of heavy fluids and cement into the wellhead
Wellhead
A wellhead is a general term used to describe the component at the surface of an oil or gas well that provides the structural and pressure-containing interface for the drilling and production equipment....
at the mudline). To further ensure the plugging of the original well, the first relief well established communication with the original wellbore near total depth and injected heavy fluids and cement. These efforts should have completely sealed off the Macondo Prospect well at that point .
See also
- List of oil spills
- Deepwater HorizonDeepwater HorizonDeepwater Horizon was an ultra-deepwater, dynamically positioned, semi-submersible offshore oil drilling rig owned by Transocean. Built in 2001 in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the rig was commissioned by R&B Falcon, which later became part of Transocean, registered in Majuro, Marshall...
- Offshore oil and gas in the US Gulf of MexicoOffshore oil and gas in the US Gulf of MexicoOffshore oil and gas in the US Gulf of Mexico is a major source of oil and natural gas in the United States. The western and central Gulf of Mexico, which includes offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, is one of the major petroleum-producing areas of the United States...