Skip to content

Southern Fried Science

Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online

  • Home
  • About SFS
  • Authors
  • Support SFS

One way an oil rig’s blowout preventer can fail

Posted on May 3, 2010May 4, 2010 By Andrew Thaler 5 Comments on One way an oil rig’s blowout preventer can fail
Science

There’s not much more to say other than blue marlin bill fish caught in oil rig blowout preventer.

Several people have asked why we aren’t blogging about the oil spill. The simple answer is that the Deep Sea News crew has done such an awesome job there’s not much more for us to add.

H/T Underwater Thrills

~Southern Fried Scientist

Please note: this is not taken from the well currently destroying the Gulf Coast.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon

Related

Tags: Blue Marlin Deep Sea News drill baby drill Oil Rig

Post navigation

❮ Previous Post: Monday Morning Blogaerobics – Black Gold and Bad Genes
Next Post: Hawaii shark fin bill passes! ❯

You may also like

Weekly Salvage
Monday Morning Salvage: November 28, 2016
November 28, 2016
Conservation
Unguided deep-sea research is essential for national and global security
May 24, 2010
Weekly Salvage
Remembering Walter Munk, a photo on a flash drive in a pile of poo from a seal at the bottom of the sea, lucky vikings, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: February 11, 2019
February 11, 2019
Conservation
Who should you be following for oil spill news?
May 28, 2010

5 thoughts on “One way an oil rig’s blowout preventer can fail”

  1. Kevin Z says:
    May 3, 2010 at 9:00 pm

    Holy shit! What a whacked out Marlin! Great find.

    Must have been seriously disoriented or maybe it was trying to sabotage the rig…

  2. Dashark says:
    May 3, 2010 at 10:59 pm

    Great video – but that’s a Swordfish, not a Blue Marlin.

  3. tim says:
    May 8, 2010 at 11:37 am

    Kudos to the crew for attempting to save the marine life, though one would hope that future designs would address issues such as these. Also, this really highlights the limitation of animals that can’t move backwards (which, if you’re one of the fastest swimming animals in the world, probably might be a decent tradeoff)

  4. Callin McLaughlin says:
    June 4, 2010 at 2:52 pm

    I have just one question!! Why is there no manual shut off rams on these underwater BOPs?? Every land rig, I worked on, in the williston basin, had two manual hand crank valves, for the final backup. Certainly, after watching the videos, a ram, could be designed, and with torque multipliers on the robots, and the bops, that could easily snip the pipe, and seal the well…I am truly mystified at this….anyone have any answers!!??

Comments are closed.

Popular Posts

Shark scientists want their research to help save threatened species, but don’t know how. Our new paper can help.Shark scientists want their research to help save threatened species, but don’t know how. Our new paper can help.December 1, 2025David Shiffman
What Ocean Ramsey does is not shark science or conservation: some brief thoughts on "the Shark Whisperer" documentaryWhat Ocean Ramsey does is not shark science or conservation: some brief thoughts on "the Shark Whisperer" documentaryJuly 2, 2025David Shiffman
Norway and Cook Islands put their deep-sea mining plans on pause.Norway and Cook Islands put their deep-sea mining plans on pause.December 3, 2025Andrew Thaler
What is a Sand Shark?What is a Sand Shark?November 12, 2017Chuck Bangley
Mermaids: The New Evidence is a Fake DocumentaryMermaids: The New Evidence is a Fake DocumentaryMay 28, 2013Andrew Thaler
What we know we don't know: impacts of deep-sea mining on whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, and other migratory species.What we know we don't know: impacts of deep-sea mining on whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, and other migratory species.November 20, 2025Andrew Thaler
What can the funniest shark memes on the internetz teach us about ocean science and conservation?What can the funniest shark memes on the internetz teach us about ocean science and conservation?November 8, 2013David Shiffman
10 fish weirder than the fish in the 10 weirdest fish in the world list10 fish weirder than the fish in the 10 weirdest fish in the world listDecember 18, 2013Guest Writer
Breaking News! "Most Comprehensive Estimate of Mortality": Between 63 and 273 Million Sharks Killed Each YearBreaking News! "Most Comprehensive Estimate of Mortality": Between 63 and 273 Million Sharks Killed Each YearMarch 1, 2013David Shiffman
Build a dirt cheap, tough-as-nails field computer in a Pelican caseBuild a dirt cheap, tough-as-nails field computer in a Pelican caseJuly 21, 2015Andrew Thaler
Subscribe to our RSS Feed for updates whenever new articles are published.

We recommend Feedly for RSS management. It's like Google Reader, except it still exists.

Southern Fried Science

  • Home
  • About SFS
  • Authors
  • Support SFS


If you enjoy Southern Fried Science, consider contributing to our Patreon campaign.

Copyright © 2025 Southern Fried Science.

Theme: Oceanly Premium by ScriptsTown