Deepwater Horizon: Prolonged Effects of a Deadly Disaster

Three years ago, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill dumped an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico near the Mississippi River Delta. Considered one of the largest accidental marine oil spills in history, the incident took 11 lives and sparked over 130 lawsuits. The environmental impacts of the spill continue to be studied.

On April 20, 2010, an explosion caused by methane gas led to the deaths of 11 men working on the rig. 115 crew members were rescued before the Deepwater Horizon sank. According to an internal investigation by BP dubbed the Bly Report, eight key findings caused the event. The Bly Report narrowed the faults down to "a well integrity failure, followed by a loss of hydrostatic control of the well. This was followed by a failure to control the flow from the well with the BOP [blowout preventer] equipment, which allowed the release of subsequent ignition hydrocarbons. Ultimately, the BOP emergency functions failed to seal the well after the initial explosions."

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