This is an exploration drilling rig. I don't do these, although this was a good rig.
The media does not understand that this platform is not intended to produce oil and gas, but, to explore for oil and gas.
When drilling a well in a new location, there is uncertainty as to the pressure regime that will be encountered. Basically, the pressure gradient is equal to the density of water/unit depth. However, when encountering hydrocarbon bearing sands, there is typically an over pressured zone. This over pressured zone has to be counter-balance with the density of the drilling fluid/mud, which is controlled by the rig operators.
Sounds like they ran into a fault while drilling a wildcat exploration well and they had "lost circulation" - that means the mud that is used to balance the pressure in the hole that they are drilling was not circulating back to the rig, but was "lost" into the fault. Eventually, if they cannot plug the well, they loose all of their mud down the fault and if the seafloor BOP (blow out preventer - multiple remotely operated valves that can shut off the well bore at the seafloor) also fails, then the unbalanced well blows out sending hydrocarbons up the drilling riser and on to the rig floor and catches fire with a big boom. You know, like the old school pictures of Teapot Dome and other classic movies, only not with the romanticized benign rain of oil, but, with an explosion and fire.
I would be surprised if the missing crew members are alive, that was a big explosion and fire.
Not good for the people. Not good for the industry. Not good for the politics.
Happy Earth Day.
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