Oil Spill Cleanup

[Posted on June 28]

With shocking images of oil-covered marshlands, beaches, and animals and with signs that oil will continue to spew from the Earth and into the Gulf of Mexico for a while longer, the devastating BP/Transocean oil rig disaster is certainly one of the worst oil spills in American history, if not the worst. Without a doubt, massive oil spill cleanup efforts will need to occur, as well as sound investigation into the causes of the disaster.

In what seems for many to be an ongoing nightmare, the oil spill disaster has threatened not only vulnerable ecological systems in the Gulf of Mexico, but also the livelihoods of many who live near and depend on the once-pristine waters of the Gulf. Undoubtedly, the most important task for authorities at this moment is to secure the leaks which are still spewing significant amounts of oil, and if/when these leaks are finally secured, a perhaps more challenging job will need to occur- oil spill cleanup. Although, realistically, the damage created by this oil spill could be unprecedented, there is still hope for minimizing the medium to long-term negative effects of the spill, but this will require a sizeable amount of resources as well as oil cleanup expertise.

Apart from efforts put forth on oil spill cleanup, there will also need to be a thorough and independent marine accident investigation into the causes of the oil rig explosion. The oil well plan is one of the areas in which investigators will be focusing on, as the plan may have been faulty and could have compromised the safety of the well, and although a faulty well plan is certainly one potential cause, there will likely be a number of failures discovered, and with time, a full report on the causes of this disaster will be published.

Shocking images and video of damaged Gulf ecosystems will probably continue to be broadcasted for months, years, and even perhaps decades to come; however, pessimism should not reign; instead, rigorous efforts to clean up the oil spill will need to take place if fragile ecosystems and local economies are to be restored. It’s also important to point out that the findings of the marine accident investigation into the BP/Transocean oil rig disaster will hopefully change the oil industry in a fundamental way in which safety precautions and possibilities for failure are scrutinized intensely so that the chances for another devastating oil spill disaster will be greatly minimized. For more information regarding oil spill cleanup, marine accident investigation, or other services which include expert witness marine, simply contact Stewart Technology Associates directly.