Tag Archives: Gulf of Mexico
Red Tide Killing Record Number of Florida Manatees
An outbreak of Red Tide, a deadly algae bloom, in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida is killing a record number of endangered Florida manatees. The Red Tide bloom has been killing at least 10 manatees a day and shows no sign of … Continue reading
Engine Room Fire Strands Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico, Will be Towed to Mexico
An engine room fire has knocked out the propulsion and the primary electrical system on the cruise ship Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico off the Yucatan Peninsula. Emergency generators are providing limited power to the passenger areas. The ship … Continue reading
Update 2: Explosion on Oil Rig in Gulf of Mexico – Eleven Injured, Four Critically and Two Missing
Update 2: Current reports say that eleven were injured, four critically. Two workers are still missing. An oil and gas rig in the Gulf of Mexico, about 20 nautical miles southeast of Grand Isle, La., was hit by an explosion … Continue reading
BP Pleads Guilty to 11 Felonies and Agrees to Pay $4.5 Billion to Settle Criminal Case on Deepwater Horizon Tragedy
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 platform workers and resulting in the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. Today BP, the … Continue reading
Bombs in the Gulf’s Offshore Oilfields
We have previously posted about unexploded bombs from World War II being exposed by drought along the Rhine and Mosel Rivers in Germany, about similar bombs being found in the port of Marseille and about World War II phosphorus munitions burning two … Continue reading
Hurricane Isaac in the Gulf, Typhoon Bolaven Pounds Korea – 4 Chinese Fishermen Dead, 12 Missing
One hell of a day for storms at sea. Just after noon today, Isaac was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane as it slowly moved north in the Gulf of Mexico toward Louisiana and the city of New Orleans, on a track disturbingly similar … Continue reading
USCG Cutter Mohawk to become Reef off Sanibel Isalnd, FL
The World War II era US Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk is scheduled to be scuttled in 2012, 16 miles off the coast of Sanibel Island, FL in the Gulf of Mexico to serve as an artificial reef. Veteran’s Memorial Reef planned off … Continue reading
What is happening in the Gulf of Mexico? Public Relations, Dead Turtles and Dolphins
Hundreds of dead dolphins and sea turtles are washing ashore on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. No one knows exactly what is killing them though many point to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill of a year ago. In the mean … Continue reading
Holy Flying Fish! – A Mako Shark and an Eagle Ray Jump Aboard
Last summer we posted about a breaching Southern Right whale that landed on a sailboat off South Africa. This week, boaters off the Florida Keys and in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas got surprise visitors. Off the Florida Keys a 200 … Continue reading
First Permit to Restart Deep Water Drilling
Yesterday we reviewed John Konrad’s new book, Fire on the Horizon: The Untold Story of the Gulf Oil Disaster, which went on sale in bookstores today. Coincidentally, yesterday the Interior Department approved the first new deep water drilling permit in the Gulf … Continue reading
Oyster Apocalypse?
According to a study published in the February issue of BioScience, 85% percent of the world’s native oyster reefs have been destroyed. Oyster Apocalypse? Truth About Bivalve Obliteration Three-quarters of the wild oysters left in the world, the study says, now … Continue reading
Mariner Energy Oil Platform Explodes in the Gulf of Mexico
An oil platform operated by Mariner Energy exploded today near Vermilion Bay in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. One worker was reported injured. No one was killed and no significant oil spill resulted. Mariner Energy has been involved at least 13 … Continue reading
“Making Waves”, Not Quite the Mary Celeste
Last week the yacht, Making Waves, a 48 foot Sea Ray Sundancer, with its engine running and the autopilot engaged, came ashore on Redding Beach, FL, on the Gulf of Mexico, with no one aboard. The boat is estimated to be … Continue reading
Skimmer “A Whale” Sails for Dalian, China Spill
Lloyds List is reporting that the Skimmer “A Whale” which failed to collect significant amounts of oil in the Gulf of mexico from the BP spill is now en-route to the major spill in Dalian, China. The more concentrated oil on the … Continue reading
Skimmer “A Whale” Fails Second Round of Testing
After a second round of testing, the converted O/B/O skimmer A Whale has been judged a failure in skimming oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Giant oil skimmer ‘A Whale’ deemed a bust for Gulf … Continue reading
“A Whale” Skimmer Not Ready for Prime Time – Initial Testing Inconclusive
Whale of a skimmer not ready to attack Gulf oil after weekend of testing The behemoth Taiwanese oil skimmer, A Whale, is not yet ready attack the Gulf of Mexico oil spill after a weekend of testing proved inconclusive, said … Continue reading
“A Whale” to Begin Testing in the Gulf This Weekend – Will it Work?
“A Whale” is by far the biggest oil skimmer ever built. The bigger question question may be, “Will it work?” The converted oil/bulk ore carrier is currently docked in Boothville, La., docks as it is made ready for 48 hours … Continue reading
The Great Unknowns in Gulf Oil Spill
We haven’t posted about the Deepwater Horizon blow-out and spill. The folks over at the Maritime Texas and the gCaptain blogs have been doing a great job of covering the environmental disaster as it continues to unfold and we have had nothing to … Continue reading
Deepwater Horizon rig sinks in Gulf of Mexico after explosion
US oil rig sinks in Gulf of Mexico after explosion An oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that caught fire after an explosion on Tuesday has now sunk, the US coastguard has said. The coastguard is still looking for … Continue reading
