Matthew Simmons, Oil Industry Insider: "There's another leak, much bigger, 5 to 6 miles away"

[ShortnFiery]

From YouTube (MSNBC Dylan Ratigan) and The Oil Drum Discussion Board:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cDGAoU1H2gM

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6516#comments_top

However, if the plume came from another leak which is thought to be the “elephant behind the mouse,” it would explain why there has been so much confusion about the spill rate, and why there is so much oil on the surface.

“All that oil didn’t come from that little dinky hole,” industry expert Matthew Simons said.

Simmons believes that when the Deepwater Horizon exploded, "the riser blew off the wellhead and it’s still hooked to the rig,” about 7 miles away.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Holy crap!

[Denzil_DC]

2. Next comment from that Oildrum thread:

<-> cscottnet on May 27, 2010 - 5:08pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I'm not an expert, but even I can tell that the "experts" quoted in the article are *also* not experts. The giveaway is the ol' "just detonate a bumb down there" as the closing kicker. The floor of the gulf is soft fine mud. Imagine detonating a bomb in jello or pudding -- would that seal anything up?

The oil did come from the "little dinky hole" -- because it's flowing at almost unimaginable pressures. If you don't understand that, sure you may be looking for other sources -- but you're also surely not an "expert".

Read the whole thread rather than cherrypicking the scary-sounding bits.

[ShortnFiery]

3. Here's the link to PBS Business. The link quotes Simmons exactly. So they were reliable

on that score.

Here's the PBS Business Link:

http://www.pbs.org/nbr/site/onair/transcripts/matthew_simmons_of_simmons_and_company_100526/

[Denzil_DC]

5. Accuracy of quote isn't the issue. Like I said ...

read the whole Oildrum thread:

newdood on May 27, 2010 - 5:33pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I've watched the interview with Simmons and Possi that these quotes were taken from. From what I was able to pick out of the conversation, they are making some VERY INTERESTING claims:

1. The riser is still attached to the Horizon and the oil we see coming out of the end of it is actually coming out of a tank somewhere on the sunken drill rig. I couldn't figure out where they thought the GAS may be coming from.

2. We've all seen the two main leaks from the riser (top of the BOP/riser kink and end of the riser) and there was the third leak at the end of the drill pipe before that was valved and shut off. These two clowns are claiming that the REAL leak from this well is somewhere about 6 or 7 miles away from where all those ships and ROVs are working. There was no explanation of how the oil might be traveling from the GPS coordinates where the Horizon was drilling to where they claim it is coming up from the sea floor.

3. Both Simmons and Possi have suggested that military high explosives are an (the?) appropriate solution to this problem. In fact, Simmons suggested that the navy should "drop a bomb down the bore". If we ignore the little problem involving getting any such bomb past the kinked-up riser and/or partially-actuated shear rams in the BOP AND the fact that the inner casing of the well is something less than 10" inner diameter - thus SEVERELY LIMITING the size of bomb that could be shoved down the bore, we are STILL left with the problem that any such explosion would introduce NUMEROUS new leak paths to either the surface or to new reservoirs higher in the geological strata.

From what I understand, Simmons may once have had some credibility in the field. As far as I'm concerned, on the basis of what I've seen him say in the last few days, he's now got about as much credibility as George W. Bush had when he was in the oval office.

Personally, I have MUCH more confidence in what I hear from Heading Out, ROCKMAN, Shelburn, or many other posters in this forum.

[ShortnFiery]

8. THEN, how can that "tiny leak" be the ONLY entity responsible for 15 times the initial

estimate of Oil Flow?

No, I'm far from an expert but my mamma didn't raise me STUPID and GULLIBLE to every damn thing the Government and the Oil Industry Involved claim to be true.

[ShortnFiery]

7. That's exactly what this expert said on the YouTube video from MSNBC.

I'm only quoting an Oil Insider and Expert who has a flawless reputation. :shrug:

[Doremus]

14. Don't know what your agenda is here but your claim that Matt Simmons isn't credible

is about as believable as the notion that the BFEE is into philanthropy.

I will take the advice of Matt Simmons over BP and your favorite Faux News talking heads any day.

[VMI Dem]

4. Only if BP says so.

[ShortnFiery]

6. Guess What? National Geographic and The Oil Drum agree with Matthew Simmons?

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100513-science-environment-gulf-oil-spill-cap-leak/

Gulf Oil Leaks Could Gush for Years

That's leakS = plural. :(

[Denzil_DC]

9. OK.

I've come to the conclusion you're actively WILLING this to fit your worst construction on the situation when even industry insiders and engineers on Oildrum are struggling to interpret events. No point in trying to point you towards any other evidence as it won't fit your desired frame, so I'll save my fingers the typing.

[ShortnFiery]

12. I was the same person who challenged others at DU when the Coast Guard

FIRST claimed that "no oil" was leaking from the sunken rig.

I hope that I'm wrong but I'm not about to absorb everything the Coast Guard tells us as "the gospel."

No way! We need OTHER industry insiders overseeing this mess?

[Maru Kitteh]

22. You have your profile disabled. How quaint. Most don't bother with that anymore.

[boston bean]

10. I'm just about to burst into tears if this is true.....

[ShortnFiery]

11. Oil Guru Matthew Simmons: It Could Be 24 Years Before The Deepwater Gusher Ends.

http://www.businessinsider.com/matthew-simmons-dylan-ratigan-deepwater-2010-5

There may be no way to stop the leak, and it could take 9000 days (over 24 years) for the gusher to end, while we wait for the well to simply run out.

[Doremus]

15. It could spew that long with much less damage IF BP WOULD GET A FRICKING TANKER

OUT THERE!

We aren't getting tankers for one reason:

The quantity of oil would then become measurable.

Fucking bastards.

[KansasVoter]

13. Where is CNN or MSNBC reporting on this story?

[donco6]

16. God, I hope not.

I really didn't think this could get worse.

[ChiciB1]

17. And Looking At The Current Leak Feed Doesn't Look Like It's Slowing Down!

Been watching, but not sure I know what it all means. Just looks like it's spewing and spewing. I'm half thinking it's going to blow, but THAT is PURE speculation on my part!! I just keep seeing it spew & spew & spew!

And they did show that picture of that rather LARGE plume 6 ft wide and 7 miles long on MSNBC! My figures may be incorrect, but I know they said something like 7 miles LONG.

[donco6]

19. Yeah, I checked it too. No change to me.

:(

[ChiciB1]

18. LOOK At This!

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globa...

[Teaser]

20. nonsense

the high end estimate flow rate more than accounts for the large underwater plume observed.

[ChiciB1]

21. Okay... I Won't Dispute Because I'm No Science Geek! Just Watching

because of where I live! And now I MUST try to catch some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's!

[ensho]

23. its probably true

nt