Name Atlantis PQ Port of registry United States Acquired 17 August 2007 Launched 17 August 2007 Tonnage 30.88 million kg Displacement 88.83 million kg | Owner BP plc Laid down 21 June 2004 Construction started 21 June 2004 Length 129 m Weight 88,830 tons | |
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Operator BP plc (56%)
BHP Billiton (44%) Builder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering | ||
Atlantis PQ is a BP plc and BHP Billiton joint venture semi-submersible oil platform on permanent location over the Green Canyon Atlantis Oil Field in deepwater Gulf of Mexico, 190 mi (310 km) south of New Orleans. The "PQ" identifies the platform as being a production facility with crew quarters.
The vessel's hull was designed by GVA and built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in Okpo, South Korea. Its topsides modules were built in Morgan City, Louisiana with hull integration in Ingleside, Texas.
Operating in depths of more than 2,100 metres (6,900 ft), Atlantis was the deepest moored semi-submersible platform in the world when it was installed. Independence Hub subsequently set a new record with its installation in 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) water depth.
Food & Water Watch lawsuit
As a result of the 2010 explosion of the semi-submersible Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and the subsequent oil spill, informants within BP came forward with allegations that safety practices at Atlantis PQ were flawed. Specifically, allegations have been laid against the plans and specs used in its construction, maintenance, and operation. Kenneth Abbott, a former BP contractor, reported that up to 80 percent of the engineering plans used to build and operate the installations were never authenticated by even BP engineers for safety and stability, and that over 80 percent of the plans for the underwater welds were never verified. Food & Water Watch, a US-based consumer interest group, filed a complaint with the US district court requesting an injunction to stop production on Atlantis PQ until these matters have been investigated.
In August 2014, the case against BP Atlantis was dismissed by a U.S. circuit court. U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes stated "BP never misrepresented -- much less knowingly distorted what it was doing,", finding that the case was ultimately about "paperwork wrinkles" instead of engineering shortcuts, adding [Abbott and the environmentalists] "have not blown a whistle," he said. "They have blown their own horn."