BP stabilizes Thunder Horse in the GoM
Offshore staff
The joint effort by BP, SMIT, the US Coast Guard, and the Minerals Management Service made significant progress in righting theThunder Horse semisubmersible production platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The recovery team has reduced the platform's list angle to 5° and continues to make adjustments to reach normal trim.
The decking is 46 ft out of the water, and the hull has reached normal displacement. The platform continues to rise and is stable. The vessel is nearing trim with all but residual water removed.
The recovery team has sealed ballast water inlets and plugged instrumentation ports. Other sealing and weatherproofing activities continue.
BP and its lead contractor SMIT continue to make the platform seaworthy and storm-safe against weather changes ahead of Hurricane Emily, which is entering the western Gulf of Mexico. Safety and environment remain the recovery team's top priorities, and only one minor injury has occurred during the righting operation. The weather at the scene is calm.
The production platform is in Mississippi Canyon block 778 150 mi southeast of New Orleans. Last week, crews returning from Hurricane Dennis evacuation found the vessel listing and the edge of its deck touching the sea. BP had scheduled the platform's production start for the end of 2005, but the platform was not yet connected to the field's subsea oil wells.
7/18/05