Deepwater Horizon

On April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon, an oil drilling rig operated by private contractor Transocean, is set to complete drilling off the southern coast of Louisiana on behalf of BP. Chief Electronics Technician Michael "Mike" Williams and Offshore Installation Manager James "Mr. Jimmy" Harrell are surprised to learn that the workers assigned to test the integrity of recently completed cement work are being sent home early, without conducting a cement bond log (CBL), at the insistence of BP managers Donald Vidrine and Robert Kaluza. While Mike prepares the drilling team, including Caleb Holloway, Shane Roshto, and Adam Weise, Harrell meets with Vidrine and persuades him to conduct a negative pressure test, which indicates the cement has not properly sealed the well from the high-pressure reservoir. Vidrine disputes the test finding and orders a second test. After concluding the second test was a success, Vidrine pressures senior toolpusher Jason Anderson to run more tests and orders the rig to remove the drilling mud and prepare the rig to move to its next job. At first, the operation goes smoothly, but the cement job eventually fails, triggering a massive blowout that overpowers and kills Weise, Roshto, and the majority of the other drill team members. Holloway and Vidrine evacuate the floor. A chain of equipment malfunctions and a failed attempt to seal the well ignites the oil, killing Anderson and the other tool pushers. Andrea Fleytas, the rig's Dynamic Position Operator, tries to alert the Coast Guard, only to be overruled by her superior, Captain Curt Kuchta, because the rig is not in any imminent danger, at least until the rig erupts in flames. Kuchta sends out his call for help. With oil now spewing into the ocean, an oil-covered pelican flies into the bridge of a nearby vessel, the Damon Bankston, which was there to collect the drilling mud from the well, and dies; the vessel heads towards the rig just as the workers begin a frantic evacuation, sending out a rescue team after seeing the rig burst into flames. Harrell, still alive, although seriously injured in the explosion, is rescued by Mike and assumes control of the situation, only to discover that the rig cannot be saved. Aaron Dale Burkeen, a close friend of Mike's, sacrifices himself to keep a burning crane from collapsing onto the surviving crew. At the same time, Mike and Caleb rescue Vidrine and Kaluza and get them to safety. As night falls and the burning oil lights up the area, the Coast Guard becomes aware of the incident and sends ships and aircraft to rescue the survivors, who are being ferried in the lifeboats to the Damon Bankston as it was already on scene to assist with the evacuation and rescue. With all the lifeboats full, Mike locates the emergency life raft, but it becomes separated from the rig before he and Andrea can board, causing the latter to suffer a panic attack. Just as the oil in the well itself ignites and destroys the rig, the two jump into the water and are picked up by rescuers, who then ferry them to the Damon Bankston, where the surviving crew mourn their lost crewmen and say the Lord's Prayer. Returned home, the workers reunite with their families in a hotel lobby, during which the parents of one of the missing crew members accost Mike, resulting in him having a panic attack. Luckily, Mike's family rush in to comfort him. Epilogue: Accompanied by clips showing the aftermath of the disaster, the real-life Mike Williams provides testimony which is televised on C-SPAN; he never went back to sea, and lives with his family in Texas. Andrea Fleytas quit the oil industry and lives in California. Jimmy Harrell continues to work for Transocean. Pictures of the eleven men who died aboard the Deepwater Horizon are shown. Kaluza and Vidrine were indicted for manslaughter, but by 2015, charges were dismissed. "The blowout lasted for 87 days, spilling an estimated 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. It was the worst oil disaster in U.S. history." –Closing caption

Plot from Deepwater Horizon (film)CC BY-SA 4.0