July 15, 2005
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Leaning Tower of Oil
Friday July 15, 2005 4:00AM PT
After Hurricane Dennis raced across the Gulf of Mexico last weekend, a massive oil platform called Thunder Horse was found listing 20 to 30 degrees off-kilter. Now, a 20-degree incline might not be much if you’re talking about your backyard badminton net, but when the world’s largest semi-submersible oil platform leans like that — well, it looks dramatic, and it generates excitement. Owned by British Petroleum and ExxonMobil, the $1 billion platform hasn’t even begun producing oil yet; it was scheduled to start later this year. What’s more, a BP spokesman says that the cause of the alarming tilt has “not been determined.”
Thunder Horse
News of the leaning behemoth — and the astonishing photos that accompanied it — hit the Buzz in a big way. “Thunder Horse” spiked 810%, and “BP Thunder Horse” leapt 717%. BP, now madly at work to right the platform, rose 178%. Any number of queries, ranging from “BP Hurricane Dennis” to “BP Thunder Horse sinks,” also swept through the Search box. Fortunately, experts predict that the next storm gathering strength — Hurricane Emily — will steer clear of the sloping platform.
