Diary of a spill

摘要

Prior to the Deepwater Horizon explosion, BP had been on a roll. Six months earlier, the company announced the discovery of the Tiber oilfield. Described as a "giant" find, initial estimates are that it may contain four billion to six billion barrels of oil in place. An exploratory well was drilled to a depth of 10,685 metres, or almost 9.5 kilometres. By comparison, Mount Everest reaches a height of 8,848 metres above sea level. A passenger aircraft typically flies at around 10,000 metres.