North Sea has far safer drilling record than Gulf of Mexico

A new article reports that when it comes to comparing the number of drilling accidents in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, there is no comparison. And it provides charts and statistics to demonstrate that the North Sea has had significantly fewer blowouts that the Gulf.

In the UK North Sea between 1955 to 2010 there have been a total of two blowouts on rigs—in 1977 and 1988—with one fatality.

Compare that to the Gulf of Mexico where, since 1964, there have been 11 blowouts with 38 fatalities and massive pollution: 140 million gallons of oil from the 1979 Ixtoc spill and more than that from the still-gushing BP Macondo well.

In the Gulf, six blowouts occurred on jackup rigs, four on semi-submersibles and one on a drill barge.

Source: Maritime Accident casebook