211 Libya Sea Zone Inciden (2/2)

This was an emergency button only to be used when a major problem occurred and automated control was ineffective. After hitting the button, all devices handling the extraction process in the drilling platform would stop and the valve beneath the platform would also be closed.

”Oil extraction pipe pressure suddenly dropped by seven atm. The two oil detectors beside the valve both indicate that there is crude oil, with a viscosity of 4.3mPas, in the seawater...”

Ryota Saka's desperate roar was amplified by the high pitch speaker at the top of the platform, completely covering the already loud alarm.

Under normal circumstances, he would not be in such a panic. Even if there was a leakage in the extraction pipe, he just needed to close the valve. And this command would have been automatically given when the detectors found that there was oil in the seawater. His act of pressing the emergency button was actually unnecessary.

Then why was he in such a state?

Because the valve was malfunctioning...

Needless to say, it was a severe oil leakage. If nothing was done immediately, they might need to face the huge fines set by the Libyan government.

In less than 30 seconds, a series of rapid footsteps was heard on the iron-plated floor. Over 20 awkwardly-dressed men dashed into the control room.

”What happened?” they shouted, before being able to even stand properly.

”Forty seconds ago, the extraction pipe started leaking and the valve is malfunctioning. Now, we already have seven underwater oil detectors indicating a leakage. We only installed a total of 16...”

”Quick. Work boat one and two, go and set up an isolation belt two kilometers around here. Oil retrievers, take in the oil whenever you discover any. We cannot afford to let the Libyan government find out about this,” director Shota Watanabe said in a strict tone after listening to the report. ”Diver Team, wear your SH2000 diving suits. Now go underwater and investigate the valve's condition.”

At the moment, under the high-power searchlight, the people on the platform could already see black viscous fluid rising to the surface. In just a short while, the fluid surrounded the whole platform.

Perhaps the only fortunate thing was that the platform was only a little over 100 meters from the seabed and their divers could easily go underwater, protected from the pressure by their rigid suits. It was not likely to be another Gulf of Mexico level of tragedy.

The diving suit was made from a strong 6000-series aluminium alloy, weighted 500 kilograms, and had a special protection layer on the outside, allowing one to dive up to 400 meters deep. Instead of calling it a diving suit, it might be more appropriately named a mini-submarine. This was because it not only had a propulsion system, but also a hydraulic pressure robotic arm, an ultra-shortwave underwater communicator, life support and many other cutting edge technological devices. Released from a customized pod, it could allow one to work underwater for five hours continuously.

Twenty minutes later, the divers reached the valve and sent images of the place back to the control room using highly sensitive cameras and connection lines.

It was a bizarre accident that nobody could have expected even if they opened their skulls and heated their own brains to 180°C...

A great white shark, six meters in length, had half of its belly bitten away by some unknown organism. The cables connecting the valve and the drilling platform were wound around its body, with many of them already snapped.

Above the valve, the steel pipe, half a meter in diameter, had a large part of it torn off by something. Oil flew out from the opening continuously...

There was total silence in the control room. Apart from the occasional shrill yelling of workers in shock, nothing else could be heard.

The images on the screen made them feel that they were merely dreaming or hallucinating. No matter how hard they rubbed their eyes, the reality was hard to believe.

It was evident that there had been a horrifying battle. A great white shark was killed by something and by coincidence, bit the cables into pieces.

That the cables were snapped was still acceptable. The bite force of the great white shark could be ranked in the top three among all the animals. Although the electronic shark repellent and anti-shark cables were installed, if a great white shark really wanted, it could have bitten the cables off. Although its teeth might fall out, they would grow back again.

But the torn oil extraction pipe?

Forget the shark. Even if a dinosaur were at fault, the pipe would not have been damaged this badly!

The pipe was so thick and huge. Were all the fishes so blind that they could not avoid it?

”Err... send, send people down to connect the cables now. We need to close the valve as quickly as we can and then send underwater robots down before repairing the damaged pipe...”

”Roger!” two divers answered simultaneously. The cables could be reconnected easily. A temporary repair would only require a day, and the cables could be replaced in the future. But the oil extraction pipe repair would be much more troublesome. The robots would first need to remove the entire pipe from the valve and raise it up to the platform. Under lucky conditions the process would take about five to six days, but there might be other unforeseen incidents such as an oil well leakage.

”Hey, platform two and four? Send your oil retrievers here. There has been a crude oil leakage...”

...............

Let us turn our attention to platform number five.

In the dense fog, only the burning sound of fire and the sound of sea waves hitting the platform's pillars could be heard.

All of a sudden, a sharp warning alert broke the silence!

After a series of disorganized footsteps and worried outcries, Daisuke Maruyama was the first to dash into the control room.

”What is happening?” he shouted.

”Maruyama, we are done for. Our oil-control valve has a problem. According to the system's auto detection, the integrated electronic module on the valve is experiencing a short circuit due to some reason…”

”What?” Daisuke Maruyama almost fell to the ground. The electronic module on the valve was installed in the interior. If it was malfunctioning, the whole cover had to be removed in order to make a replacement.

On land, this would only take one to two hours. But now it was installed on the seabed, over 100 meters underwater.

The valve was connected to the oil layer from below and the platform from the top. They had to seal the openings, remove the whole valve and take it onto the platform for repair.

Because it was assembled from many sophisticated electronic components, even a bit of water in the interior would completely destroy it.

Half an hour later, divers reported that the valve cover had gone very loose due to some loose screws or maybe other reasons. Sea water with pressure more than 10 times the atmospheric pressure gushed inside, causing a short circuit in the electronic components…