The groups that were affected by the BP Oil spill disaster in the Gulf Essay

The groups that were affected by the BP Oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico - Essay Example To better understand the situation, a brief background of the how the catastrophe occurred is important. Deepwater Horizon was a 9 year old semi-submersible oil rig functioning in the waters of the Mississippi canyons, under lease of British Petroleum. At the time of the explosion, there were drilling going on for an exploratory well at depths of about 5000 feet. The well was almost funcationaly complete, whereas major cementing work was being carried out by one of the concerned parties/ contractor of BP, Halliburton (BBC, 2010). After completion of the well, it could be used as a subsea producer later. However, catastrophe struck on 20th April, 2010, methane gas shot up from the well 5000 feet under the ground and it shot up all the way up to the rig. The safety instruments did not react properly to this phenomena and the rig caught fire as methane exploded on the rig. All but eleven workers were saved through rescue efforts and lifeboats. This catastrophe didn’t end here; an oil leak was found where the oil rig stood 3 days ago. This sleek oil cover started endangering life. According to official estimates of August 2 and about 62000 barrels of oil per day has escaped the well into the water, endangering the environment and submarine life (Channel 4 News, 2010). Identification of key stakeholders: The oil spill happened at such a big magnitude that it affected a multitude of organizations, people far and wide, in multiple countries; it affected human as well as animal habitat. Therefore, the impact was far and wide, all the species directly as well as indirectly cannot be accounted for. The sub-groups can be classified as follows. With the oil spill came the disastrous damage that the Gulf of Mexico’s natural habitat had to face as the slick oil destroyed marine life. It suffocated the animal and plants and as the oil rose to the top, it created massive havoc in terms of dead fishery and plants and unimaginable loss to the scenic beauty of natur e in that area. Naturally, this oil spill has been a disaster; however, indirectly it has cost millions of people their livelihood. Fishermen in the area have been worst hit by this calamity where their basic income is now dead or the area in which they fished is now contaminated. Marine life has been completely destroyed in some places. Therefore, apart from the natural habitat which was ruined, it was the fisherman who was the stakeholders which were affected in this scenario. Environmental agencies claim that there will be constant efforts needed for decades to come to bring the habitat close to its original well being. The complete restoration is not even possible (Szabo, 2010). As the oil slick reached the shores engulfing the Gulf of Mexico, tourism was hit. Tourists ran away from the spots which were considered as summer favourites before the disaster. Even today, when there is no presence of oil or its impact on the beaches of Denver, there are almost no tourists when compar ed to earlier years. Tourists now have widespread fear that the oil has ruined the shoreline and it may affect them in some way. The oil spill has also cost the company; they have to pay millions