The US Coast Guard approved another remotely operated vehicle inspection of the Deepwater Horizon wreckage and the Macondo well site, scheduled to start Dec. 3. BP PLC operated the Macondo well, which was drilled by Transocean Ltd. using the Deepwater Horizon semisubmersible.
An April 2010 blowout resulted in the deaths of 11 people aboard the Deepwater Horizon, which sank after a fire and explosion. The blowout resulted in a massive oil spill.
BP and Transocean received USCG approval for another ROV inspection after BP reported a sheen that was verified by satellite imagery in early November. A joint plan to determine the source of a surface sheen was submitted by the companies on Nov. 9 for USCG review.
The plan calls for ROVs to inspect potential sources of oil in the vicinity of the Macondo wellhead and rig wreckage. USCG will supervise the inspection.
In September BP reported a sheen and discovered a containment dome was leaking oil. An ROV operation was done to cap the containment dome leaks. No oil emissions from the containment dome were observed after the capping operation (OGJ Online, Nov. 5, 2012).
