Feds create ‘no-go zone’ around Deepwater Horizon wreckage

[seafan]

Source: Houston Business Journal

A federal judge at the U.S. District Court in New Orleans has ordered the site of the Deepwater Horizon wreckage and its surrounding areas off limits to companies, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday.

The security zone extends in a 750-foot radius from the center of the drilling rig’s wreckage, which rests 41 miles off the Louisiana coast in 5,000 feet of water.

In a statement, the Justice Department said it was “in the public interest to protect the search area and any evidence located in the area against intentional and unintentional loss.”

In accordance with the order, the Justice Department said it has informed any companies known to be capable of reaching those depths not to enter into the zone. The order will remain in place at least until Oct. 8 2011.


Read more: http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2010/10/27/feds-create-no-go-zone-around.html

---

Interestingly, the Oil & Gas Journal reported two days ago:

HOUSTON, Oct. 25 -- A joint investigation team (JIT) of the US Coast Guard and the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement received a 60-day extension of the deadline for the JIT final investigation report following a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The JIT is charged with completing forensic testing into the failed blowout preventer (BOP) from Transocean Ltd.’s Deepwater Horizon semisubmersible. An Apr. 20 blowout of BP PLC’s deepwater Macondo well on Mississippi Canyon Block 252 resulted in an explosion and fire on the semi, killing 11 people.

USCG and BOEMRE officials said they granted the extension to allow additional time for testing the BOP and also to provide more time to prepare for a final public hearing on the forensic evidence. The hearing tentatively is scheduled for the week of Jan. 24, 2011.

The JIT was asked to issue a report on the evidence as well as its conclusions and recommendations. The deadline for that final report has been moved to Mar. 27, 2011.

Previously, Det Norske Veritas was hired to conduct the BOP forensic testing. The BOP and lower-marine riser package were taken to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Michoud Assembly facility in New Orleans on Sept. 11. Federal officials and DNV have been working on final BOP testing protocols.

The inescapable, cynical conclusion is that we will most likely never know the truth about the cause of this disaster. And, it will be by design.

[kestrel91316]

1. This order should have been issued months ago.

[DCKit]

2. No shit. They could've covered up a lot more if they'd had more time to do so. n/t

[xchrom]

3. Recommend

[earth mom]

4. The BP Ecocide Cover Up is Alive & Well I see.

:puke:

:grr:

[TheMadMonk]

5. If they'd tried to make it a 10 mile exclusion zone, I'd agree.

However, this look more like a rather belated erecting of police tape around a crime scene.

[Generic Other]

6. Protecting from what? Roving eyes?

Seems odd since they let us watch footage of the site 24/7 for months. What could they have to hide that hasn't already been seen?

[wordpix]

7. the feds don't want companies that can get to 5000 ft. down to go there

Maybe they don't want anymore exploratory drilling, for one thing.


"The security zone extends in a 750-foot radius from the center of the drilling rig’s wreckage, which rests 41 miles off the Louisiana coast in 5,000 feet of water.

In a statement, the Justice Department said it was “in the public interest to protect the search area and any evidence located in the area against intentional and unintentional loss.”

In accordance with the order, the Justice Department said it has informed any companies known to be capable of reaching those depths not to enter into the zone. The order will remain in place at least until Oct. 8 2011."

[RollWithIt]

8. I disagree that this is the "only conclusion".... this seems like a safety ruling....

To protect the wellhead itself. We already know what caused the blowout.

[metapunditedgy]

9. If the "Feds" had acted transparently from the start in their dealings with BP, this would be

a non-issue. Now, they have to drown out the news with Lindsay Lohan (?) coverage to keep people from talking about it.

It's business as usual until BP execs are in jail.

[blackspade]

10. Please note..

That the court order calls for a "security zone extends in a 750-foot radius from the center of the drilling rig’s wreckage" not the well head.
Does this mean that the rig hit the bottom intact? Does this mean that they are going to try to recover bodies?
I would think that there would be debris spread around the wreck and it likely is imbedded in the ocean floor.
What I don't understand is why they have pretty much ignored the wreck all this time.
It will be interesting what information that they publish about the wreck site.

[kpete]

11. 'Crime scene' security set up around busted Gulf rig

Source: MSNBC

'Crime scene' security set up around busted Gulf rig
Justice Department says move tells 'parties' capable of reaching mile-deep rig that site is off-limits

NEW ORLEANS — The federal government has set up a security zone around the wreckage of an oil rig that exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, leading to the massive BP spill, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig sits on the seafloor about 1 mile deep and about 1 mile from the BP well that spewed more than 200 million gallons of crude. To reach the actual rig would take very specialized equipment.

"It establishes what would be at any crime scene, the yellow tape around the perimeter of it," said Wyn Hornbuckle, a Justice Department spokesman.

"It informs the parties that have the capabilities (to enter the zone) that they don't have the right to enter that space," the spokesman added.


Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39885263/ns/us_news-environment/

[ixion]

12. It's in a mile of water, so they're not worried about your average diver

Sounds like a cover up, to me.

[icnorth]

13. "...more than six months after the explosion..." n/t

[defendandprotect]

14. K&R --

[damntexdem]

15. Well, of course, for the Crime of the Century.

And the century is so young, too.

[felix_numinous]

16. It would be great if there was

an actual investigation to go along with that crime scene tape.

[Ghost Dog]

17. In your country? You must be joking.

... And, I'm, we're all, very sorry about that.