Gulf of Mexico spill cause probed by salvage operations

The wrapping efforts to extract the failed blowout preventer from the Gulf’s waters this weekend might very well expose the reasons behind the disastrous spill that was responsible for spewing millions of barrels of oil into the water and taking the lives of 11 rig workers.

The spill chief assigned to inspect and supervise the process of removing the preventer and replacing it with a new one said today that he will be accompanied by investigators summoned from the Justice Department in order to assess the situation in the most apt and effective way possible.

The malfunctioning blowout preventer has been pinpointed as the device directly responsible for the spill’s escalation, as it failed to perform its primary task of choking off the leak in it preliminary stages, thereby allowing it to reach such catastrophic gushing levels.

The spill and explosion that accompanied it caused the addled to rig two day after the first signs of leaking were discovered. A total of almost 5 million barrels of oil were released into the Gulf by the busted well before a temporary capping and static kill were finally performed on the top of it.

The replacement process of the preventer is an intricate and tedious procedure, as it involves the careful removal of the wiring and pipes still connected to the failed device, as well as the clearing of the area of the remaining stray parts of the well’s debris. The sheer size of the massive device which boasts the size of a three story building also makes for a rather problematic and potentially hazardous removal procedure.

Once the replacement preventer is put in place, a bottom kill will be performed on the well, totally encapsulating it in cement and thick mud, making any further leaks that the static kill may have allowed a virtual impossibility.

The is still however an area of issue in the process, with another of the well’s devices named the annulus potentially buried in the Gulf’s bottom sands, making it unfeasible to remove the part from the ailing water.

The Gulf’s regions have slowly been recovering since the accident, and as of today, more than 4,000 square miles of its waters have been re- opened for the fishing and tourism industries, the livelihood of which has been severely damaged by the spill.

Though continual examinations will still be performed on the water; those areas now open for business have announced that their beaches are contaminate- free and completely safe to swim and fish in.