Staging for the DWH response ops

Captains,

Critical resources such as boom, skimmers, waste oil containers, sorbents and decon gear is staged as close to the actual on-water operations as possible. The workforce for the spill response is housed in "tent cities", "hotel barges", "beach camps" and trailers.

RDML W

Overflight of DWH maritime ops

Captains,

As FOSC for the Deepwater Horizon spill response, my duties included regular overflights of the maritime operations. Four to five thousand vessels engaged in various operations, including well control, in-situ burning, skimming, equipment and worker transportation, waste disposal, boom deployment and maintenance, command and control, and reconnaissance. Over 40,000 people are working in the response - at least three quarters of them in sea-going activities.

I photographed the well control fleet (right) and deck barges near Grand Isle, LA (below).

RADM W

President's commitment for the DWH Spill response

After being Deputy Federal On-Scene Coordinator for a month, I relieved RADM Mary Landry so she could resume her job as the Eighth District Commander. My tenure as the FOSC began with clear guidance from the top.

In his meeting with the Governors, Congressional members and parish presidents, President Obama gave his full commitment to the response and restoration of the Gulf coast from the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

RADM W

"The Largest Cleanup Effort in U.S. History"

Posted by Jesse Lee on May 28, 2010 at 04:47 PM EDT

Following up on his press conference discussing the BP oil spill, the President travelled to the Gulf Coast to get another first-hand look at the progress and to be briefed by those on the ground.

Federal On-Scene Coordinator

Captains,

I handed the reins of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response to RADM Paul Zukunft this week, so will try to catch up on the last two months by posting a series of blog entries. It has been an honor to serve Admiral Thad Allen, USCG (ret) during my assignment as the Federal On-Scene Coordinator.

RADM Jim Watson

Admiral Paul Zukunft to Assume Role of Federal On-Scene Coordinator

NEW ORLEANS – National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen today announced that Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft is scheduled to relieve Rear Adm. James Watson as the Federal On-Scene Coordinator for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response on Monday.

Watson will return to Portsmouth, Va., where he serves as the Coast Guard Atlantic Area deputy commander, which oversees five Coast Guard Districts, 42 states and more than 4 million square miles of navigable waters.

“In my role as Federal On-Scene Coordinator, I have seen federal, state and local agencies work with industry and non-governmental groups on the largest oil spill response in U.S. history,” said Watson. “As the Atlantic Area deputy commander I am committed to restoring the Gulf, and will continue to support Rear Admiral Zukunft and the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command.”

Tar ball fingerprinting

Captains,

Did you know oil has a finger print? The USCG Marine Safety Lab in New London CT eliminated the Deepwater Horizon well as the source of the tar balls found in Key West. Here's how they do it:

The Oil Identification System (OIS), developed during the mid-1970s at the Coast Guard Research and Development Center, is based on a multi-method approach to "fingerprinting" oils. In 1978, the Central Oil Identification Laboratory (COIL) was established as the operating facility to implement the OIS. In 1988, COIL was renamed the Marine Safety Laboratories (MSL), and in 1996 Marine Safety Laboratories became Marine Safety Laboratory. OIS is designed to determine the unique, intrinsic chemical properties of oils via analytical techniques and establish whether or not a common source relationship exists between samples of spilled oil and samples of oil from a suspected source.

The USCG MSL is just one of the little known resources that have aided the response in the Gulf of Mexico.

RADM W

Deepwater Horizon well control operations

Captains,

Well control operations following the MODU Deepwater Horizon accident have been compared to NASA's Apollo 13 accident operations. Leading engineers from BP and throughout the industry assembled in Houston for the unprecedented task of mitigating the outflow and ultimately stopping the flow from the well head which is a mile below the surface of the sea. Coast Guard Marine Safety Center and Minerals Management Service engineers are overseeing these activities. Marine professionals working above the well head are constantly exposed to the volatile organic compounds rising from the well as they maneuver remotely operated vehicles and specially designed tools to contain the outflow and seal off the well.

A riser insertion tool was installed at the open end of the 1500' long riser pipe yesterday and is currently working to bring some of the outflow to ships on the surface. A top-kill operation to stop the outflow at the well head itself will be tried next. In the mean time sub-surface dispersants are being applied with remotely operated vehicles to help reduce the amount of oil and volatile organic compounds from rising to the work area above the well.

RADM W

Deepwater Horizon oil spill shoreline ops

Captains,

Shoreline protection and cleanup is the last defense for oil spill responders. Ideally no oil will come ashore. Unfortunately some already has landed on the barrier islands in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama - mostly in the form of tar balls. Protective booming of sensitive shorelines and beach cleanup of tar balls and emulsified ribbons of oil has already begun.

RADM W