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Thunder Horse now ‘trim’ and ‘stable’
The BP-operated Thunder Horse platform, found listing badly after Hurricane Dennis swept into the Gulf of Mexico in early July, is now “trim” and “stable,” according to a final joint press released July 19 by the Thunder Horse owners and government regulators.
An investigation into the root cause of the mishap has yet to be completed. However, the U.S. Minerals Management Service has said Dennis likely was not the cause of damage to the Thunder Horse semi-submersible platform, largely because damage to other offshore facilities was “extremely light.”
Workers, returning to the platform after an evacuation, found the platform listing 20 to 30 degrees to port. It appeared that two of the semi-submersible’s four giant pontoons partly filled with water. Precautions against future storms BP and its lead contractor SMIT were successful in making the platform seaworthy and storm-safe as a precaution against changes in weather conditions from future tropical storms, according to the joint press release.
“The platform is trim (and) displacement and freeboard are normal,” the press release said. “There have been no (oil) spills.”
The $1 billion Thunder Horse production platform, not yet connected to sub-sea wells, is located on Mississippi Canyon Block 778 about 150 miles southeast of New Orleans, La. The platform was scheduled to come on line during this year’s third quarter, producing at peak rates of 250,000 barrels of oil per day and 200 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.
Nearly 50 contractors and sub-contractors provided assistance during recovery operations. Government regulators, including MMS and the U.S. Coast Guard, also are contributing to the effort.
The platform is anchored in 6,050 feet of water and is designed to produce from some of the deepest wells in the world. Thunder Horse, at an estimated 1 billion barrels, also is the largest oil discovery in the U.S. Gulf. The field and facilities are owned 75 percent by BP and 25 percent by ExxonMobil.
—Ray Tyson
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