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VI. Challenges at the Macondo Well

BP and Transocean encountered a number of problems during drilling
and temporary abandonment operations at the Macondo well – including kicks,
stuck pipe, lost returns, equipment leaks, cost overruns, well scheduling and
logistical issues, personnel changes and conflicts, and last minute procedure
changes. These problems led rig personnel and others to refer to Macondo as the
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“well from hell.”

A. Kicks and Stuck Drill Pipe

BP company records and testimony from rig personnel establish that at
least three well control events and multiple kicks occurred during drilling and
temporary abandonment operations at the Macondo well. The first well control
event occurred on October 26, 2009, when the well was being drilled by
Transocean’s Marianas rig. The second well control event occurred on March 8,
2010, after the Deepwater Horizon had replaced the Marianas and resulted in a
stuck drill pipe.

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It took the crew at least 30 minutes to detect the March 8 kick. This
delay raised significant concerns among BP personnel overseeing the operation
about the ability of personnel on the Deepwater Horizon to promptly detect kicks
and take appropriate well control actions.

In a post‐blowout interview, John Guide, a BP wells team leader, stated
that, at the time (March 2010) he was concerned that the Deepwater Horizon team
had become “too comfortable” with itself because of its good track record for
successfully drilling difficult wells, and that its members missed potential
indications of problems during the March 8 event that they should have
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caught.

Other individuals responsible for operations at Macondo expressed

concern about the events of March 8:

160 Testimony of Mike Williams, Joint Investigation Hearing, July 23, 2010, at 35 (stating that the
Deepwater Horizon crew had used the name “well from hell” on a prior well and also used the
term on the Macondo well because on both wells the crew encountered similar lost circulation,
stuck pipe, and kick problems).
161 BP‐HZN‐MBI00221686.
162 BP‐HZN‐BLY00125447.

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