Response Journal 5 - Essay Example

Response Journal 5: Implications of Engineering Decisions This response journal is based on the article “Rig Owner Blames BP for Gulf Oil Disaster” (CNN). The journal aims to discuss the implications of engineering on the oil spill last April 2010. More than a year ago today “Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded over a BP well, killing 11 workers and opening a gusher that spewed some 170 million gallons of toxic crude oil and 200,000 metric tons of methane gas into the Gulf of Mexico” (Natural Resources Defense Council ,par.1). According to the CNN article, Transocean, the owner of the rig is blaming BP for its missteps which caused the spill.

In the said article, Transocean pointed out that the explosion was the result of "a succession of interrelated well design, construction, and temporary abandonment decisions" that "compounded the likelihood of its failure," (CNN). If the claims of Transocean are true, we can conclude that an engineering decision was partly to blame for the spill. In fact even BP’s investigation revealed a failure in engineering design. As we all know, this spill caused widespread harm to the people, the environment and the wildlife of the region.

A major implication of the engineering decisions in this incident is its effect in the environment. Marine life has been largely devastated. The aquatic food chain was disturbed causing the death of a multitude of organisms, several varieties of fish and other sea creatures. The economic implication of the spill is that the people whose livelihood depends on the ocean now risk losing their means of survival. The social implication can be seen in how the spill affected the health of the workers at the rig and the people within the vicinity.

Another important implication of the engineering decisions that led to the oil spill is in the area of politics. Government must have the will to restore the Gulf to its previous healthy condition. Stricter regulations should be put in place to prevent the accident from happening again. Engineers can also assist in the improvement of the design of oil rigs and introduce reforms to make drilling safer. Furthermore, engineers have a vital role to play in the development of clean energy sources which do not spill, run out or wreck havoc to the planet Earth.

Works Cited CNN, Wire Staff. "Rig owner blames BP for Gulf oil disaster." 22 June 2011. cnn.com. 28 June 2011 . Natural Resources Defense Council. "The BP Oil Disaster at One Year." 20 April 2011. nrdc.org. 28 June 2011 .