Offshore oil in gulf of mexico - Essay Example

The original location of the oil industry was off the Louisianan coast. Though at first the production was negligible, it rose steadily such that in the 90’s it was producing around 25% of the world’s gas. The transformation of the offshore oil industry off the Mexican Gulf can be attributed to technological transformations and brisk entrepreneurship. The inventiveness turned the rather deserted Louisiana into a hub of prospering activity in terms of oil production. The industry at first got workers from around Louisiana but later workers came from all over the United States.

It can be said that currently Louisiana is a major contributor to the United States’ economy. Consequently, people getting attracted to it were the expectations. After the Second World War, the veterans who came back home too part in the challenge of mining oil from the ocean floor. They were successful and the developing technology is continuously motivating their outcome as improvements to their system are made daily. The offshore mining industry now boasts over 4000 oil platforms that are active and pumping the petroleum to land (Fitzgerald 82).

Offshore drilling for oil is quite challenging. Though the mechanism is mostly the same, the fact that this is being carried out miles away from the land makes it unique. The mechanism gets complicated when the sea floor is thousands of feet below sea level. In offshore drilling, artificial platforms have to be built for the drilling purpose. To highlight how complicated the process is, it is imperative to have an insight into the process of drilling in details. The artificial platform, for example, created to provide support for drilling is usually unstable due to water currents and the winds (Lloyd 45).

In order to drill effectively in a non stable position, a drilling template is required. It is placed accurately by use of GPS and then a shallow hole is dug where it is cemented to the sea bed. That in place, the accuracy of the drilling is ensured without being hindered by the motion of the platform. A blowout preventer is installed too to prevent any gas from seeping out on the seabed and contaminating the water, just like in onshore mining. The rigs in this case have to be economized; there are movable rigs that are used solely for exploration because they are less expensive than the permanent ones placed after the oil deposits have been found.

The whole offshore process is based on low cost production with a maximized profit but with utmost concern being environmental safety. However, environment safety in cases of offshore oil drilling has raised a lot of controversies (Fitzgerald 82). Though the oil mining along the Mexican gulf is economically beneficial, it significantly contributes to environmental degradation. Several critics have pointed out that off shore mining is not only dangerous but also risky. The industry has set up several safety policies but they are highly doubtable considering the explosions and oil rig accidents.

For instance, in 2010, there was an explosion in one of the rigs that killed eleven people and left oil gushing at an estimated five thousand barrels per day. This oil spill with such intensity outdid its income by the damage it caused on the fisheries (Lloyd 45). The environment is the foremost thing that should be consider when taking part in any entrepreneurial activity. The question that has