U.S. NAVY SALVAGE REPORT DEEPWATER HORIZON ... - ESSM

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response
Figure 5-2. Shop Vans and Command Vans arranged for use in State
Pier, Gulfport MS.
5-1.2 Scope of Effort
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response effort was the largest oil spill response since EXXON
VALDEZ incident on 24 March 1989. It was very comparable in scope and effort and required
full deployment of all suitable continental United States ESSM oil spill response gear. A table
comparing SUPSALV’s response effort is provided as Table 5-1. A chart documenting the
number of personnel deployed is provided as Figure 5-3. Figures 5-4 and 5-5 document the
deployment of ESSM equipment at a single moment in June in the Gulf Region.
Deepwater Horizon
Date of Incident 20 April 2010 24 March 1989
EXXON VALDEZ
Skimmers Deployed 5 VOSS / 18 MARCO Class V 2 VOSS / 20 MARCO Class V
Days of Operation 159 Days 205 Days
Boom Deployed 63,200 25,000
No. of Operators 140+ 100+
Oil Recovered 23,205 BBLS 125,000 BBLS
Table 5-1. Comparison of SUPSALV’s OSR Effort – Deepwater Horizon – EXXON
VALDEZ
One of the differences between the Deepwater Horizon response and the EXXON VALDEZ
response is the amount of oil recovered. A number of differences between the two operations
can explain the relatively small amount recovered with DWH as compared to EXXON VALDEZ.
They include:
5-3