Even though Hurricane Alex is no where near the site of the oil leak, the wave action is having some serious effects on the BOP and the collection pipe. Watching the "front" end from Enterprise 1 and the "back" from Skandi 2 show the funnel waving back and forth quite a lot. The collective hits have been bad enough that one of the guide fins (which look like 1/2" plate steel to me) has been bent and is now askew.
The resulting hits seem to have had an effect on the BOP as well. The Coast Guard is stating that the BOP is now listing 12 degrees. When you watch the feeds (especially Skandi 2 which has a fixed object for a frame of reference) you can see the cap rocking and the BOP swaying like a tree in the breeze.
Knowing what I know about metal fatigue (especially low cycle fatigue), I'm not sure the BOP is going to last until the relief wells are drilled. Catastrophic failure of the BOP will certainly increase the flow rate of the leak and I don't know how that will impact the ability of the relief well to stop the overall leak.
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SHAVING MY SHOULDERS: A random assortment of Simpsons, politics, history, and anything else I feel like. (And we still like him better than Steinbrenner)
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