MMS

SCIENCE

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 6 

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004

THE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

Prevention &

Preparedness

UltraDeepwater

Production

If the Worst

Should Happen

Is Mother

Nature a

Polluter?

National 

Oil Spill

Response 

Test Facility

Accepting 

Only the Best

Chemistry 

in the 

Gulf of Mexico

Prevention &

Preparedness

UltraDeepwater

Production

If the Worst

Should Happen

Is Mother

Nature a

Polluter?

National 

Oil Spill

Response 

Test Facility

Accepting 

Only the Best

Chemistry 

in the 

Gulf of Mexico
2 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

THE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF THE MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004 Volume 1 Issue 6

3 Prevention & Preparedness

How Research Comes Together

4 Ultra-Deepwater Production

Part of Our Economic Future

6 If The Worst Should Happen

Responding to Oil Spills

8 Is Mother Nature a Polluter?

Natural Oil Seeps

9 Oil & Hazardous Materials 

Simulated Environmental 

Test Tank

OHMSETT: National Oil Spill 

Response Test Facility

10 Oil Spill Prevention –

Anticipating the Worst, 

Accepting Only the Best

11 Chemistry in the Gulf of Mexico

Science for Students

12 New Waves

Late-breaking News & Information

For more information about the Minerals Management Service, 

check out our site on the World Wide Web:

www.mms.gov

Subscribe

To receive MMS OCEAN SCIENCE, sign up on the website

www.gomr.mms.gov, click on e-mail subscriptions on the left hand

column, check the box marked Environmental Studies or e-mail

mary.boatman@mms.gov or call (504) 736-2781

MMS

SCIENCE

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004 

Volume 1 Issue 6

MMS OCEAN SCIENCE is published 

bi-monthly by the Minerals

Management Service to communicate

recent ocean science and technological

information and issues of interest related

to offshore mineral recovery, ocean

stewardship, and mineral revenues.

Please address all questions,

comments, suggestions, and changes

of address to:

Mary Boatman

MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Editor

Minerals Management Service

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

mary.boatman@mms.gov

(504) 736-2781

ABOUT THE COVER

Top: 

Oil spill response vessel.

Bottom: 

Oil spill boom surrounding broken ice.

All photos courtesy of Minerals Management Service

unless otherwise noted.

Publication services provided by 

Schatz Publishing Group
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004 3

HOW

Photo courtesy of C&C Technologies

Top left: Airplane demonstrating the spraying of

dispersants. Top center: Recovery of a disk skimmer

for oil removal in ice covered waters. Top right:

Testing of the Foxtail brush skimmer off the Alaskan

coast. Above: An MMS inspector at an offshore

facility. Above left: An oil-spill response vessel

practicing the deployment of a boom for collecting

oil on the surface.

PREVENTION & PREPAREDNESS 

moves in the ocean to the way the oil

impacts marine life, MMS works closely

with industry and other government

agencies, using prevention and

preparedness to ensure that America

benefits from environmentally

responsible energy production.

RESEARCH

COMES

TOGETHER There are over 4,000 offshore

oil and gas platforms

operating in the Gulf of

Mexico. To the west, 

23 platforms operate in

Federal waters off the coast of Southern

California, and to the north, there is

growing energy industry interest in

Alaskan offshore waters. Yet over the past

20 years, less than 0.001 percent of the

oil produced from offshore oil

production facilities on the continental

shelf has been spilled. With the Nation’s

energy needs increasingly dependent on

offshore oil and gas production, there is

great importance placed on research that

will improve the Minerals Management

Service’s (MMS) ability to protect the

ecosystems surrounding offshore

facilities.

Every study funded by MMS takes the

agency one step closer to a better

understanding of how the ocean works.

This understanding provides the ability

to predict the potential path of released

oils and chemicals in the ocean. Through

the use of testing facilities, scientists are

able to take full advantage of advanced

technology aimed at effective oil-spill

prevention and response. 

New studies of deepwater currents on

the Gulf of Mexico continental slope are

being undertaken to provide information for oil-spill risk analysis and model

validation. The MMS’s Oil-Spill Research

projects continue to provide important

information and data used in forming

accurate modeling of potential oil-spill

risk and in the prevention of oil-spill

damage to the ocean environment. 

Oil-spill research and response

preparation are the perfect examples of

how the many parts of MMS combine to

form a solid base for decisionmaking

and problem mitigation. From research

on waves and currents and how oil
4 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

ULTRA-DEEPWATER PRODUCTION

PART OF OUR ECONOMIC FUTURE

deepwater foldbelts comprising

large northeastsouthwest

trending compressional “box

folds.” The

volume potential

of this new

resource is enormous. Scientists

estimate dozens of

box folds, each

providing 1-2

billion barrels of

crude oil equivalent reserve

potential.

However, the

challenges of

recovering oil and

gas resources from

these ultradeepwater folds

are tremendous.

The oil and gas industry has made

great technological achievements in the

last few years. The growing deepwater

infrastructure indicates that the Gulf of

Mexico deepwaters will continue to play

an integral role in the Nation’s energy

supply. Ongoing MMS research ensures

that the implementation of

technological advancements is to the

benefit of everyone: environment,

industry, and the American public.

Polyester moorings, composite risers, cell

spars, and 15,000 pounds-per-squareT

he Gulf of Mexico is now in

its ninth year of sustained

expansion of the deepwater

(>1,000 feet of water depth)

frontier. A total of 65

deepwater projects were under

production by the end of 2002, 11 more

in 2003, and an additional 14 in 2004.

The Minerals Management Service

(MMS) announced in June that there

have been eight new deepwater oil and

gas discoveries since January. The MMS

estimates a total of 96 fields in

production by the end of 2007. Yet the

increasing demand for energy continues

to outstrip domestic production. To

counteract the potential of an

economically disastrous reliance on oil

imports, exploration of new hydrocarbon reserves in waters deeper than

6,000 feet in the ultra-deepwater of the

Gulf of Mexico has become crucial.

In 1990, about 4 percent of the oil

and less than 1 percent of the natural gas

produced on the Gulf’s Outer

Continental Shelf (OCS) were from

those deeper regions. By the end of

2003, more than 60 percent of the Gulf’s

oil production and 23 percent of its

natural gas came from that area.

Production potential from deepwater

resources is estimated at 49.5 billion

barrels of oil equivalent (BOE).

Energy exploration in deepwater is

perhaps the most significant area of

innovation. Deepwater oil and gas

development in the Gulf of Mexico is a

workhorse for U.S. domestic oil and gas

production. Ocean oil production rose

535 percent between 1995 and 2002;

deepwater gas production rose 620

percent over those same years. If current

trends continue, by 2006 as much as 77

percent of daily oil production in the

Gulf and 26 percent of daily gas

production could come from the

deepwater regions.

Ultra-deepwater exploration (>5,000

feet of water depth) has uncovered

exciting reservoir possibilities. One new

discovery is what scientists term a

“significant new play concept”: ultraWhat is a BOE?

ABOE (barrel of oil equivalent) is a unit of energy equal to the amount

of energy contained in a barrel (42 liquid gallons) of crude oil. The

boe is used for giving comparative overall production figures that

include both oil and natural gas. It is approximately equal to 6.12x109J (joule),

based on the approximate energy released by burning one barrel of crude oil.

The energy content of natural gas varies because of minor variations in the

amount and types of energy gases (methane, ethane, propane, butane) it

contains — the more non-combustible gases in a natural gas, the lower the

gigajoule value. Unless otherwise noted, a boe is assumed to refer to 6,000

cubic feet (6 Mcf) of natural gas.

inch subsea trees were unheard of until

recently. The effort to develop new

technologies that can economically

recover energy resources from ultradeepwater is intense and ongoing.

According to MMS Director Johnnie

Burton, “This effort made by the oil and

gas companies, the marine service

industry, fabrication yards, suppliers of

all types (such as drilling mud, pipe

manufacturers, computer components,

The spar structure Genesis, owned by

ChevronTexaco, operates in a water depth of 2,590

feet in the Gulf of Mexico.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004 5

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0

Thousand Barrels/Day

underwater survey vehicles), and 30,000

personnel who work offshore every day

is truly an amazing story for the country.

Their hard work has paid great dividends

for the Nation in providing secure

sources of energy resulting in many

thousands of jobs in the United States.”

Offshore oil production now

accounts for about 30 percent of total

domestic production – more than

double what it was just 12 years ago.

Experts estimate it may increase to as

much as 40 percent by 2010.

In addition to providing access to

critical energy and other mineral

resources needed for the Nation’s

economic well-being, MMS also collects

and disburses around $8 billion a year

in mineral revenues – $135 billion since

1982. The MMS is a leader in securing

ocean energy and economic value for

America.

Preparing for the Future: 

Projecting Oil and Gas Production

T he MMS, Gulf of Mexico Region, recently released new oil and gas daily production rate projections that reflect

production rates into the year 2013. According to the new report, Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Production Projections:

2004-2013(MMS 2004-065), a daily oil production rate of 2.13 million barrels by the end of 2013 is estimated, along

with a daily gas production rate of 13.49 billion cubic feet.

Most of the oil production and a significant portion of the gas production come from the deepwater area, defined as

water depths 1,000 feet or greater. Deepwater operators were surveyed in order to forecast short-term production based on

their previous production rates. Gulf oil production was an estimated 1.537 million barrels a day in 2003. Since 1997,

shallow-water oil production has declined steadily, but has been offset by increased deepwater production. It is estimated

that 62 percent of the 2003 oil came from the deepwater area, which surpassed shallow-water oil production in March 2000.

Deepwater Operator Surveys indicate that deepwater oil production will increase significantly over the next few years.

Gas production has followed similar trends to that of oil production, with a decline in total gas production in 2002 and

2003, going from 13.83 billion cubic feet per day in 2001 to an estimated 12.19 billion cubic feet in 2003. For gas

production rates to rise above current levels, significant contributions would be necessary from undiscovered deepwater

projects. 

199019921994199619982000200220042006200820102012

Years

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0

Thousand Barrels/Day

199019921994199619982000200220042006200820102012

Years

Total Gulf of Mexico

Oil Production

Total Gulf of Mexico

Gas Production

The above figures include actual total oil and gas

production including expected production through

2006. Values beyond 2006 include industry

announced discoveries, extrapolated estimates from

surveys, and estimated undiscovered resources.
initiator, funder,

and participant

providing

scientific ideas or

a provider of

facilities or other

resources. Current

OSRR projects cover the spectrum of oilspill response issues including remote

sensing, behavior of oil, mechanical

containment and recovery, chemical

treating agents, 

in situ burning, and operation of

Ohmsett – The National Oil Spill

Response Test Facility.

Funding for research through the

OSRR Program and at Ohmsett is

provided from the Oil Spill Liability

Trust Fund (OSLTF). The OSLTF receives

funds from a five cents tax on each barrel

of oil produced in or imported into the

country and from interest on the fund

principal, recovery of costs and damages

from parties responsible for oil spills,

6 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

In the event of an accidental oil

spill, the ideal response would be

rapid and completely effective. For

over 20 years, the Minerals Management

Service (MMS) has funded research

programs to improve oil-spill response

technologies to make that ideal response

possible. The Oil Spill Response Research

(OSRR) program is at the forefront of

research efforts to improve our capability

to detect and respond to open ocean oil

spills. The MMS is the principal U.S.

Government agency funding OSRR. The

OSRR program is a contract research

program, where research is performed by

academic institutions, government

laboratories, and private industry. The

MMS involvement varies as project

Above: Boom used to

contain spilled oil in

water covered with a

thin layer of ice. 

Left: A platform in the

Gulf of Mexico

damaged by Hurricane

Lili. No oil was spilled.

and penalties assessed to those parties.

As intended by the Oil Pollution Act

(OPA), companies that produce or

transport oil are supporting research to

improve oil-spill response capabilities.

Funding from OPA has enabled MMS to

maintain a long-term OSRR program

when funds for research and

development from other sources are

declining.

Mechanical cleanup and physical

recovery of spilled oil is the most

common and environmentally

acceptable method currently used for

dealing with oil spills. This technique

utilizes booms and skimmers to contain

and remove oil from the water’s surface.

In the Gulf of Mexico, about 19 vessels

with skimmers stand ready to respond to

a spill. Containment booms are usually

one of the first pieces of equipment at

the scene of a spill and one of the last to

be removed. Containment booms

localize the spill and concentrate the oil

into thicker layers for removal by

skimming devices. The recovery rate for

mechanical cleanup at sea is generally

10-20 percent of the spill. The remainder

of the oil either evaporates or eventually

IF THE WORST SHOULD HAPPEN

TO OIL SPILLS
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004 7

Oil-Spill Statistics 

• The U.S. uses about 700 million gallons of oil every day.

• Eleven platform spills and 16 pipeline spills greater than 1,000 barrels of oil

occurred between 1964 and 1999. These spills make up the entire record

(begun in 1964) for U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) spills greater than

or equal to 1,000 barrels. 

• Total U.S. OCS production from 1964 to 1999 is estimated at 12 billion

barrels of crude oil and condensate, approximately 95% of which is

transported by pipeline and 5% by tanker or barge.

• Over the past 20 years, less than 0.001 percent of the oil produced from the

U.S. OCS has been spilled from offshore oil production facilities.

• Read more about Oil Spill Facts in: www.mms.gov/stats/PDFs/2002_OilSpillFacts.pdf

Right: Oil spill response personnel training at the

Ohmsett facility using an oil-spill boom to trap the

oil and a skimmer to remove the oil from the surface.

Controlled burning of an oil spill on

the surface of the water is known as in

situ burning. In situ burning requires a

fire resistant boom, igniters, and special

training, but (in some cases) is more

effective than mechanical containment

and recovery. Studies have shown that in

situ burning can remove large quantities

of oil from the surface in a rapid,

effective, and environmentally safe

manner. Because the oil is gasified

during the combustion process, the need

for physical collection, storage,

transportation, and disposal is reduced

to a small percentage of the original spill

volume that remains as residue after

burning. 

The MMS is designated as the lead

agency for in situ burn research in the

Oil Pollution Technology and Research

Plan prepared under OPA. The MMS has

assembled a comprehensive

compendium of scientific literature

entitled In Situ Burning of Oil Spills:

Resource Collection, MMS Project 102, that

describes the role of in situ burning as a

response option for the control, removal,

and mitigation of marine oil spills. All

operational aspects of burning are

covered in detail. The potential impacts

is mixed and dispersed in the water.

Mechanical cleanup is labor intensive,

difficult in currents greater than 1 knot,

and generates a mix of oil, water, and

debris that must be disposed of through

recycling, incineration, or placement in a

landfill. 

In an effort to increase the recovery

rate for mechanical booms and

skimmers, new designs are being refined

and tested. Booms with the ability to

withstand higher current and wave forces

are now being investigated. Fast water

skimming systems, which are effective in

ocean currents up to 3 knots, will soon

be commercially available. Ice booms for

recovery of coldwater oil spills are also

being explored.

Another method of responding to oil

spills is with the use of chemical

dispersants that can be applied to the

spilled oil. Chemical dispersants are

designed to break up the surface oil

slicks permanently and disperse the oil

as fine droplets into the water column so

that the natural mixing action will dilute

the subsurface oil concentration. This

action transfers the oil from one location

(the water’s surface) to another (spread

out within the water column), where

natural biodegradation can occur. Each

dispersant must pass a series of tests

from the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency establishing its effectiveness and

potential toxicity. 

of this technique on the environment

and on human health and safety are also

addressed. The 2-CD set includes a

substantial percentage of the scientific

and technical literature on research,

development, planning, and

implementation undertaken by

hundreds of individuals and dozens of

organizations. It contains more than 350

documents with over 13,000 pages and

nearly one hour of video. This report is

available free of charge and can be

obtained by sending an email to

joseph.mullin@mms.gov or calling 

703-736-1556.

The safety record of the oil industry

operating on the Outer Continental

Shelf has been exemplary over the last

20 years. The MMS is striving to ensure

that the number of spills remains low

and continues to decrease. Continued

research and technological advances

guarantee successful prevention and

protection against the worst happening.

FOR OR MORE MORE INFORMA INFORMATION:

MMS Oil Spill Response Research

Website: www.mms.gov/tarphome

Oil Spill Response 

Research Program

Website: www.mms.gov/taroilspills

In Situ Burn Research

Website: www.mms.gov/

tarprojectcategories/insitu.htm

Mechanical Containment 

and Recovery

Website: www.mms.gov/

tarprojectcategories/mechanic.htm

Chemical Treating Agents

Website: www.mms.gov/

tarprojectcategories/

chemical.htm
FOR OR MORE MORE INFORMA INFORMATION:

Natural Seepage Along the

California Coast

Website: www.mms.gov/

omm/pacific/enviro/seeps1.htm

Chemosynthetic Communities

Website: www.gomr.mms.gov/

homepg/regulate/environ/

chemo/chemo.html

I

f you look at the pure numbers,

Mother Nature is an unrepentant

polluter. In the Santa Barbara Channel

alone, she spills an estimated 100 barrels

of oil a day. But that is not the whole

story. While accidental spills can be very

destructive to ecosystems, natural spills

from oil seeps are taken in stride by the

environment. 

Oil and gas seeps are natural leaks of

liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons that

escape gradually from underground

pockets. The vents that leak are commonly only about one-half centimeter

wide, although they can be much larger.

The release of oil has been described as

“patchy.” Rates of seepage can change

with the seasons, tides, and earthquake

activity. The rates can also change as the

oil reservoir from which they draw is

depleted. It is the gradual, patchy nature

of the leak that enables the environment

to cope with the influx of potentially

damaging hydrocarbons. By contrast,

offshore oil spills from production and

transportation are characterized by a

release of oil that blankets one place in a

short period. The environment can be

overwhelmed, especially if a spill

contacts a shoreline, and the short-term

impact can be severe.

The influx of organic matter from

natural oil seeps and the resulting

microbial production may stimulate

growth in certain animal and plant

species. Gas seeps and vents on the

bottom of the Gulf of Mexico have been

found to host extraordinary communities of tubeworms and mussel beds that

grow by means of chemosynthesis. The

process requires no light and produces

no oxygen, unlike photosynthesis. In

some places, leaking gas becomes gas

hydrate, an ice-like substance that forms

at high pressures when gas is trapped in

water crystals. Tiny worms have been

discovered living on hydrate outcrops.

Oil and gas seeps occur not only in

the Gulf of Mexico and California, but

also in Alaska. There are a reported 29

8 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

IS MOTHER NATURE A POLLUTER?

NATURAL 

OIL SEEPS

A gas hydrate outcrop in the Gulf of Mexico with ice worms living in the depressions. Photo courtesy of the

Geochemical and Environmental Research Group (GERG).

study, there is no doubt that the seeps

have had a positive effect on the history

of the local area. Native American tribes,

including the Chumash, Yokuts,

Achomawi, and Maidu, used tar from

the seeps for ceremonial purposes –

painting their faces with the sticky, black

substance. It was also used for waterproofing boats and roofs. When the

settlers came from the East, they used the

oil to grease their wagon wheels. Perhaps

even more important in the modern

world, many major oil fields in the

world were discovered by tracing oil

seeps to their origins.

It is clear that, while Mother Nature

may appear to be a polluter, the seeps

that seem so unsightly have been a

valuable resource. As more research is

compiled, and new energy sources surrounding them are explored, they may

prove even more valuable in the future.

oil seep areas along the Alaskan coast. 

It is estimated that the seepage rates in

Alaska are smaller than those in

California. The lower water temperature

of the Alaskan coast also produces

slower oil degradation. 

As part of its mission as steward of

the OCS energy and marine mineral

resources, MMS funds studies of oil and

gas seeps and their effects on local

ecosystems. One important research area

is the detection of the origin of oils

deposited on the ocean’s surface or on

the shoreline. It is important to establish

whether the deposit is from natural seeps

or a spill. To make the identification

possible, MMS has begun a program that

seeks to map the activity, location, and

destination of natural oil seeps. In

conjunction with the United States

Geological Survey (USGS), MMS is

creating a database of oil “fingerprints”

that can be used by State and Federal

scientists to ascertain the source of the oil

residue. The MMS has also funded a

study, Studying and Verifying the Use of

Chemical Biomarkers for Identifying and

Quantitating Oil Residues in the Environment (MMS 2000-086), to identify

tarballs through the use of biomarkers,

which are specific chemical groups

unique to the original oil.

While questions about the short- and

long-term effects of oil seeps on local

ecosystems are a source of continued
9

OIL & HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SIMULATED ENVIRONMENTAL TEST TANK

OHMSETT: NATIONAL OIL SPILL

RESPONSE TEST FACILITY

Above: Students training at the facility. The tank

allows for the large-scale deployment of boom, 

and practice with a wide range of equipment. 

Inset: An aerial view of the Ohmsett facility. 

Below left: An oil-spill boom is being tested 

during a controlled, in situ burn at the facility.

Ohmsett is a large, aboveground

concrete test tank used to test oilspill containment and removal

technologies. It is so large (over two

football fields) that engineers are able to

test full-sized booms and skimmers and

other containment and cleanup

equipment with a variety of crude oils

and petroleum products. This enormous

tank can artificially produce waves to

simulate rough seas. It holds 2.6 million

gallons of clear saltwater maintained by

filtration systems so that video cameras

can record the tests unhampered by

cloudy water.

Since reactivation in 1992, Ohmsett

has been used by the public and private

sector for evaluation of oil-spill response

equipment and technologies such as

containment booms, skimmers,

temporary storage devices, oil-water

separators, sorbents, and chemical

dispersants. The facility is also used for

research in remote sensing, formation of

emulsions in warm and cold water and

the evaluation of a fire resistant boom

using an air-injected propane burner

system. MMS has recently upgraded the

testing capabilities at Ohmsett to provide

a controlled environment for cold water

testing and training in realistic broken

ice conditions. This upgrade will allow

Ohmsett to remain operational year

round. Ohmsett was originally built by

the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency and operated by that agency

Is it adsorb or absorb?

What’s the difference?

These two words are easily confused by the simple

exchange of a “b” for a “d.” The differences are subtle but

important to scientists. A material is adsorbed when it is

stuck on the surface of another material. This works for

liquids sticking to the surface of a cloth. The liquid is

absorbed when it is taken into the material like a sponge

soaking up water.

MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004

from 1974 to 1987. In 1989, responsibility for the facility was given to the U.S.

Navy (USN), since the facility is located

on a Naval Weapons Station in

Leonardo, New Jersey. In 1990, Congress

gave MMS the lead responsibility for

operation and maintenance. The facility

was refurbished and reopened for testing

in 1992. All of Ohmsett’s operating costs

are covered by the Oil Spill Liability

Trust Fund.

Today, Ohmsett is a premier training

site for spill response personnel and new

response technologies. Approximately

120 responders are trained each year on

a variety of cleanup techniques. The U.S.

Coast Guard and USN use the facility for

training their emergency response

personnel. Originally, the facility was

designed to test simple mechanical

technologies. These capabilities are now

expanded to include dispersants, remote

sensing, and in situ burn testing. The

facility is open to all private and public

sector clients on a reimbursable basis.

FOR OR MORE ORE INFORMA NFORMATION:

Ohmsett Facility

Website: www.ohmsett.com

Website: www.mms.gov/

tarprojectcategories/

ohmsett.htm
The selection of an

operator to participate in an

unannounced drill is based

on such factors as the

number of oil producing

facilities, the volume of oil

production, and proximity to

sensitive areas. With an eye to

the operator’s current activities, a location is chosen and

a spill scenario is developed.

There are three types of

exercises: Table Top, Mobilization, and Mobilization and

Equipment Deployment.

During these exercises, an

MMS monitoring team

presents to the Incident

Commander a scenario involving one or

more of the operator’s facilities and then

observes the Spill Management Team’s

simulated or actual response.

At the conclusion of a drill, the MMS

monitoring team discusses with the Spill

Management Team the strong and weak

areas of the response. The MMS requires

that a written report be submitted within

15 days with complete documentation

of the exercise. The MMS then prepares a

written evaluation of the exercise.

Exemplary responses are acknowledged

and recommendations/requirements for

improvement are given when warranted

by MMS. An Incident of Noncompliance

may be issued for poor performance.

10 MMS OCEAN SCIENCE Science & Technology Journal

OIL-SPILL PREVENTION – ANTICIPATING THE WORST,

ACCEPTING ONLY THE BEST

S

urprisingly,

offshore facilities

and pipelines

account for less

than 2 percent of

the total oil spilled in our

Nation’s waters. (Mother

Nature spills the most

through natural oil seeps.)

However, the Minerals

Management Service (MMS)

is working constantly to do

even better by anticipating

the worst case and planning

with the best tools.

Currently, comprehensive

Oil Spill Response Plans

(OSRP’s) are required of

every owner or operator of a present or

proposed production facility on the

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

Included in the response plan is a “worst

case” discharge response plan. The plan

must include the identification of any

onshore areas that could be affected by

an accidental oil spill. To identify these

areas, the Oil Spill Risk Assessment

(OSRA) model is used. The model

simulates the anticipated trajectory of a

surface oil slick by using temporally and

spatially varying models of ocean current

and wind fields.

In addition to developing the likely

trajectory of the spill, the lessee is

required to outline the availability of the

appropriate equipment and materials,

the necessary trained personnel, and the

time needed to deploy those resources in

the event of a “worst case” spill. The plan

must also outline responses to less severe

spills or emergencies. The OSRP directive

was implemented to ensure that the

capability exists and is available for a full

response to any accidental spill.

To verify the plans work, the MMS

Gulf of Mexico Region initiated the

Unannounced Oil Spill Drill Program.

The program was initiated to test the

ability of offshore oil and gas and

pipeline operators to contain or mitigate

and clean up an oil spill by using the

procedures and resources defined in

their Oil Spill Response Plans.

Rusty Wright, Oil Spill Program

Administrator, said, “The fact that MMS

conducts about 20 oil spill drills a year

has helped industry improve their

capability to respond to actual oil spills.”

Regional Director Chris Oynes said,

“Since the inception of the

Unannounced Oil Spill Drill Program,

MMS has observed that the response

capabilities, response efficiencies, and

response training have improved to

where the oil and gas industry in the

Gulf of Mexico is prepared to respond

properly in the event of an actual oil

spill.”

The response team during a spill drill must first assign the role of each

participant and outline responsibilities based on the company’s oil spill response

plan.

The U.S. Coast Guard observes and assists with the

response team during the drill. An effective

response requires that everyone works together as a

team. At 1 of the 20 drills conducted each year, the

response team works together at a table top exercise.
MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004 1111

CHEMISTRY IN THE GULF OF MEXICO

SCIENCE FOR STUDENTS

Why is river drainage

good for plants but

bad for shrimp and

crabs? Why are there

“rain” and “chimneys”

on the sea bottom? Where do eddies go

to die? These are some of the questions

answered by posters and teacher’s

companion guides available through the

Minerals Management Service (MMS).

The materials are part of MMS’s program

to educate the public in general and

students in particular about the natural

resources and environment that they will

inherit.

“Chemistry in the Gulf of Mexico” is

just one of a series of posters and guides

produced by MMS that make scientific

studies in the Gulf understandable and

challenging. Students are given basic

concepts in ways that make them easily

understood, but presented projects that

will challenge them to think about

problems and processes.

One lesson concerns hypoxia, a

condition in which the dissolved oxygen

concentration of water decreases below 

2 milligrams/liter (normal is 5-8

milligrams/liter). Hypoxia occurs in the

Gulf because rivers, such as the

Mississippi, dump nutrients and

sediments from land-derived organic

matter and runoff from farmland and

cities into the ocean. This brings

additional nourishment to plants

growing in the water column

(phytoplankton). When the plants use

all the nutrients, they die and sink to the

bottom, where they decay, using up all

the oxygen in the process. Shrimp, crab,

and fish in the area are deprived of the

oxygen they need and must move to

survive.

Students are challenged to look at the

problem from many points of view:

those of the government, scientists,

farmers, shrimpers, oil industry,

commercial fishermen, citizens,

environmental groups, and the fertilizer

industry. Each area is researched and

dialogue is established among all the

stakeholders to explore solutions to the

problem.

Sources of Oil Inputs into Marine Environments

In a 2002 study, the National Research Council of the National Academy of

Sciences concluded that North America petroleum inputs into marine

environments were the result of the following: 

• 63% - Natural seepage

• 22% - Municipal and industrial waste and runoff

• 8% - Atmospheric fallout from consumption

• 3% - Marine transportation

• 2% - Recreational marine vessels

• 2% - Offshore oil and gas development

Detrital “rain” is another process

which is explored. Tiny animals called

zooplankton live in the ocean along

with phytoplankton. When they die,

their bodies sink to the bottom. This

constant downflux of zooplankton and

phytoplankton is called detrital rain. The

remains are eaten by bacteria and

degrade into nitrates, phosphates, and

other nutrients. This process consumes

oxygen and brings about hypoxic

conditions as well.

And the chimneys? The chimneys are

made of tiny crystal rosettes of barite

that link together in long chains. The

barium comes from salt domes below

the seafloor. These domes are dissolving

and the salt that results migrates up

through cracks in the sediment. When

barium comes in contact with the

sulfates in seawater, barium sulfate

results and precipitates into chimneys.

The answer to the question “Where

do eddies go to die?” can be found at the

MMS website at http://www.gomr.mms.

gov/homepg/regulate/environ/

studies/2001-066.pdf.

The “Chemistry in the Gulf of

Mexico” poster and teacher’s companion

can be ordered from Minerals

Management Service, Gulf of Mexico

OCS Region, Attn: Public Information

Office (MS 5034), 1201 Elmwood Park

Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70123.

Right: Hydrate

mound with

bubbles escaping.

Photo courtesy of

Texas A&M

University,

Geochemical and

Environmental

Research Group

(GERG)
MMS OCEAN SCIENCE

Minerals Management Service

Mail Stop 5431

1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70123

FIRST CLASS

POSTAGE 

PAID

PERMIT NO. 1

ADDISON, IL

Securing Ocean Energy

and Economic Value

for America

NEW WAVES Late-breaking News & Information

Platform Harmony in the 

Santa Barbara Channel.

When Mother Nature Talks, MMS and Industry Listen

This hurricane season has been an

especially active one. Hurricanes Charley,

Frances, and Ivan have devastated the

coastlines of Florida and brought severe

weather to the Gulf. Because of the

potential impact of hurricanes and tropical

storms on oil and gas production facilities,

the oil industry and Minerals Management

Service (MMS) work together to make sure

that workers are safe and pollution event

risks are minimized.

To minimize potential damage from

storms, structures are now required to be

designed to withstand a 100-year storm

event. Nonessential personnel are

evacuated early and all others leave before

the wind and seas make transport

impossible. Producing wells are shut down

through the use of valves on platforms and

at the well heads. Industry is required to

have safety valves both at the surface of the

well and subsurface to reduce the potential

for an oil spill or gas leak.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan, few

of the 4,000 platforms or the 117 rigs

working in the Gulf sustained major

damage. Of the 33,000 miles of pipeline,

only a few leaks were initially reported, but

several pipelines were later found to have

significant damage. Although the amount

of structural damage was relatively minor,

the impacts on production were significant.

Even by early October, three weeks after the

storm, approximately 471,000 barrels of oil

and 1.7 million cubic feet of natural gas

were still shut in.

Most of the 25,000 to 30,000 workers

involved in the production of offshore oil

and natural gas are back at work. Despite

the fury of Ivan, there were no reports of

any injuries, fatalities, or significant pollution associated with offshore facilities – 

a significant tribute to the programs in

place for safeguarding life, property, and

the environment.