April - May 2010 - At approximately 10 p.m. on April 20, 2010, an explosion rocked Transocean's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig resulting in the loss of 11 crew members and the sinking of the rig on April 22. The Macondo well, which the rig had recently completed drilling, was open and flowing an estimated 5,000 bopd into the surrounding waters. BP and the USCG coordinated on efforts to stop the oil flows and contain the resulting spill.
<< back to Deepwater Horizon overview |
view full size image | |
Image Description and Attributes | |
Image Description: | Nightime photo of the Deepwater Horizon shortly after the fire erupted. |
Keywords: | Deepwater Horizon, Macondo, rig fire, blowout, Gulf of Mexico |
Type of Image: | Image (Drilling Rig view more of this type) |
Dimensions: | 800 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall (view full size image) |
Date Created: | Monday, May 3, 2010 |
Associated Regional Information | |
Region: | Gulf of Mexico (view more from this region) |
Country: | US (view more from this country) |