‘Deepwater Horizon’ film likely sacrifices real safety discussion for Hollywood tropes

Oct. 6, 2016
‘I doubt the movie will examine anything similar to Béla Lipták’s technical analysis or remedies,’ says Jim Montague.

You may already know the Deepwater Horizon movie is opening on Sept. 30. By the time you read this, you may have seen it. I hope it does the tragedy and victims some justice, but I’m doubtful. At first, I was pleased to see a reminder and hopefully some commemoration of the blowout, fire and explosion on April 20, 2010, that killed 11 workers, injured 17 others, and befouled and poisoned a large part of the Gulf of Mexico.

Just in case you need a refresher, the oil drilling platform was owned by Transocean Ltd., under contract to BP, and located 50 miles southeast of Venice, La. As our columnist Béla Lipták has explained in several stories, the platform’s 18,300-foot-deep well ruptured in a low-design-pressure section of the rise pipe due to a pressure imbalance between mud and seawater circulated in the drill pipe and potentially explosive methane hydrate or methane ice (MI) crystals in the well’s deposits. Lipták added that BP’s well casing design released heat into the well during cementing, risking a kick, and the explosion occurred right after the cement seal around the wellhead was heated, causing the MI crystals to explode and shoot up, damaging a badly designed seal. 

Unfortunately, BP’s blowout preventer (BOP) system was faulty or inoperative, and the backup BOP and automatic controls it should have had were non-existent. Consequently, in addition to the deaths and injuries, the result was an 87-day, 210-million-gallon oil spill, the largest marine spill and worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

Check out Control’s full catalog of coverage on Deepwater Horizon, specifically:

Automatic override control  could have prevented the BP Deepwater Horizon oil well accident

Automation can prevent the next BP spill

Beyond the incalculable human cost and misery, BP estimated earlier this year that total costs for the accident will be about $61.6 billion. Though I can’t find the reference yet, I seem to remember a couple of sources reporting that a functional BOP, backup and automatic controls would have cost $700,000 to $2-3 million, and would have prevented the whole disaster. What a great investment!

[pullquote]Anyway, though I was initially glad to see a retelling and maybe some added awareness raising about the continuing need for thorough process safety, my misgivings about the movie quickly multiplied. Naturally, I don’t expect Hollywood to tell any true story right. When has the movie industry ever done that? Accuracy never gets in the way of melodrama, easy answers and box office receipts. Even the former squishy caveat “Based on actual events,” has been replaced in recent years by the even-more-spineless “Inspired by real events.”         

Personally, I don’t have a problem with dramatic reenactments. It’s just that slick presentations seem at odds with the consistent, careful and cautious support roles usually occupied by process control engineers. Similar to their components, controls and networks, they’re always available and constantly completing necessary tasks. They don’t swing in on a chandelier at the last minute. Most of the police officers, firefighters, nurses, doctors, municipal and court clerks, school board members, local elected officials, nurses, doctors, factory workers and parents I’ve covered in my career are the same way. They skip the melodrama, and follow through to get their jobs done.

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Pretty boring, but that’s the difference between real life and movies. No trumpets. Just crucial tasks to complete despite circumstances. So, I could be wrong, but I doubt the Deepwater Horizon flick is going to examine anything similar to Lipták’s technical analysis or remedies. Still, I find myself hoping he’s listed as a technical consultant in the credits. That would be pretty cool, I admit, but it would be even better if more of the world’s oil platforms and other deficient process applications adopted the safety measures they know they should have in place. Preventing accidents and saving lives might not make a great movie, but it would be a lot happier ending.  

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About the Author

Jim Montague | Executive Editor

Jim Montague is executive editor of Control.