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Mon 05 May 2010Coverage of oil slick catastrophe fails to address its cause
ANALYSIS:MOST REPORTING of BP’s Gulf of Mexico catastrophe has concentrated on the oil slick rather than its technical causes.
Last February, the 8,000-ton rig Drilling Horizon floated into position 80km off the US coast to drill exploration well Macondo in 1,522m of water. Designed for waters far too deep for anchors, the rig kept its position using satellite positioning and computer-controlled multidirectional thrusters. Including helicopters, boats, fuel and specialist services, the operation cost BP a cool million dollars a day. By April, Macondo had found oil and gas some 5,500m beneath the sea. The rig was therefore to be disconnected pending availability of production facilities.
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