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:

  • Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • 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

Blogging
Debunking Fukushima: Your Radiation Roundup
January 8, 2014
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
Uncategorized
So much for drill, baby, drill
April 29, 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

At least 74 practicing shark researchers: How a silly thing I said online raised thousands for conservationAt least 74 practicing shark researchers: How a silly thing I said online raised thousands for conservationFebruary 26, 2025David Shiffman
Why the new Trump order to shoot wolves is both illegal and a dreadful precedent for endangered speciesWhy the new Trump order to shoot wolves is both illegal and a dreadful precedent for endangered speciesSeptember 5, 2026Ali Gaster
The Trump Administration’s latest attack on endangered speciesThe Trump Administration’s latest attack on endangered speciesSeptember 17, 2026Ali Gaster
That's not a blobfish: Deep Sea Social Media is Flooded by AI SlopThat's not a blobfish: Deep Sea Social Media is Flooded by AI SlopDecember 19, 2025Andrew Thaler
How to build a canoe from scratch on a graduate student stipendHow to build a canoe from scratch on a graduate student stipendApril 17, 2010Andrew Thaler
What is a Sand Shark?What is a Sand Shark?November 12, 2017Chuck Bangley
5 things I learned helping to reassess the global conservation status of every species of tuna and billfish5 things I learned helping to reassess the global conservation status of every species of tuna and billfishSeptember 15, 2026David 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
Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine is a fake documentaryShark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine is a fake documentaryAugust 10, 2014Michelle Jewell
Have we found the city of Atlantis?Have we found the city of Atlantis?September 1, 2026Chris Parsons
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 © 2026 Southern Fried Science.

Theme: Oceanly Premium by ScriptsTown