Macondo blowout spawns a pair of containment firms in gulf of Mexico

Marine Well Containment Corporation (MWCC) and Helix Well Containment Group have introduced an interim containment system, Helix Fast Response System, in February 2010, at the US Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The system, which is issued the first deepwater drilling permit by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Environment (BOEMRE), is built around a mix of new equipment and components used by BP last year to shut down the Macondo well. The unit with one blowout preventer was described as a dual barrier design able to control pressure and well flow up to 15,000 psi at two points in the assembly powered by a nearby manifold. The company is also searching for locations for staging equipment on the coast of Louisiana and Texas and a final decision is expected by mid-2011. Helix has involved regulators with regular briefings on its equipment development program, with an emphasis on incremental improvements in equipment already in use by the company, which specializes in deep-sea well work.