212 Joy Surfeited Begets Sorrow

How should we describe their miserable luck?

Unbearable? It never rains but pours?

Not even two days into the official deployment of these two oil wells, and an unacceptable technical error had occurred..

For Platform 3, at least they could somewhat blame it on a major force, but what about Platform 5? They invested so much on the oil control valve, but they were told that the connector was loose, just like what would happen to an inferior toy!

This night was bound to be a sleepless one!

All people on the seven drilling well platforms woke up from their sweet dreams. The deep sea divers and technicians rushed to the heliport via the connecting bridges between the platforms. They quickly took off on the helicopter and headed toward the two problematic wells.

…

6 p.m. local time, Takeda Building, Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Regardless of how you looked at the whole situation, Goro Ota demonstrated a classical example of "Joy Surfeited Begets Sorrow".

He had hoped and envisioned to profit bountifully through these seven oil wells. However, he did not expect two of them to malfunction after having just produced a million barrels of petroleum. Moreover, if the situation at well No. 3 was not mitigated, a considerable sum of environmental fines awaited him.

When he thought of the Mexican Gulf oil leak back on May 5, 2010, Goro Ota could not help but feel a shiver down his spine. That incident had directly caused hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses. Even British Petrol had to pay up to a few billion US dollars as compensation.

"What's the status of No. 3?" Sitting at the middle of his office, Goro Ota kept his calm, cool as a fridge. 

"The source of the leakage is 11 centimeters long, four centimeters wide, and the well pressure is 27 atmospheric pressure. Five divers are currently trying to secure the leak with a PVC ring. According to statistical estimation, there should be no risk in this operation. After securing the leak, it is estimated that we can cut off the electrical cable, completely shutting the oil control valve down." A young man about 25 years of age was sitting by the computer, reporting shakily.

"Currently, the leakage amounts to around 1,700 barrels of crude oil. Other than the small amount that leaked from the isolation belt, most of it is successfully contained within the isolation belt. As of now, three oil spill recycling ships are working in the area. The supply of degrease agent and oil absorbent blankets is sufficient, and the spill should be completely cleared in three days."

"Hmm..." Goro Ota exhaled heavily. "How about Platform 5? I want to know why the oil control valve was loose. Don't try to fool me with saying a 'quality defect'. Oil control valves aren't water taps — they go through multiple tests during production and installation. These defects can't be without reason or cause."

"It's most likely due to tectonic movement that is causing a misalignment between the valve and the piping, resulting in an unsecured valve cap." While he was indeed young, the employee had a strong academic foundation. Once he started in on his topics of interest, there was no stopping him.

"According to the data transmitted from the oil well sensors at that time, there wasn't any unusual situation on the seabed underneath. The seabed is a composite turbidite layer, consisting of graywacke and calclithite. These structures are unusually sturdy, capable of fully absorbing the vibrations from tectonic movements. They are unlike harder rock layers that might collapse or rupture unexpectedly. However, its weakness lies in its vulnerability against underlying air pressure. As crude oil is extracted, the pressure change will cause the rock to experience miniscule sinking. The change is slow and will halt once the internal layer stabilizes."

"However, it is exactly this small and slow change that hinders the sensors from detecting it. In the long run, the oil control valve on the oil well will be slightly misaligned, resulting in an angle difference that leaves the drill platform on top. While the piping is long and flexible, so it will not be affected, the oil control valve is rigid and unable to handle it." The employee finished his explanation.

"Darn it, didn't we do the vibration test and fill it up with concrete during the initial phase of drilling?" Goro Ota slammed his fist hard at his desk. "Prepare the necessary equipment to seal the well and replace the oil control valve," he then ordered.

After that, he scratched his head in frustration. The replacement of piping at oil well No. 3 and the oil control valve at oil well No. 5 would delay production for more than a week. Even if the five other operating oil wells pumped out oil at full blast, there wouldn't be enough crude oil for his clients.

He had signed more than one contract. According to the production schedule, he had to operate at full capacity every week in order to fulfill all of the demands.

Oil extraction is not unlike coal mining, as both are fields of high risk and high reward. Either everything goes smoothly until every single drop is mined, or the company is forced to seal off the well indefinitely, due to serious disasters.

The only thing they could do is to pray for God's mercy. Despite man's best efforts, disasters are sometimes unpreventable. Unfortunately, there are just times when God is cruel, even beyond our imaginations.

The office was silent, only the tap of the employee's typing could be heard. Goro Ota, who had slightly regained his composure, squinted his eyes and lit a cigarette.

Pain is vain. He thought. Let it be. It's just two wells that are temporary disabled. We could delay a few days with the company in Japan, and first fulfill the demand of the new customers. Hopefully, we can minimize the reparations.

Ring! Ring!

Out of nowhere, the phone rang, breaking into his thoughts. The leak in well No. 3 must have been sealed! Goro Ota threw away his half-burnt cigarette and picked up the phone.

He was extremely confident in his intuition. So, when a visionary feeling hits him, he was almost never wrong about it. In fact, it was precisely his strong intuition that had gotten him a high position at his young age.

"Ota-kun san, we have successfully sealed the leak in well No. 3. The ring worked exceptionally, and there wasn't a single drop of leakage!" As expected, shouts of joy and excitement erupted from the other end of the line.

"Well done!" Goro Ota couldn't contain his excitement and waved his fists. "Reconnect the cables as soon as possible, so that we can hoist up the pipeline to initiate repairs."

"Yes, sir!"

After hanging up the phone, his mood brightened significantly. He then turned his eyes toward the young employee. He was about to leave him with some words of encouragement before grabbing dinner.

"Huh?" Goro Ota was shocked at the ash pale expression of his employee. The young man stared straight at Goro Ota with disbelief in his eyes.

"B-b-boss, there's been a report from Platform 1. It's the same problem as… as Platform 5. There has been a water leak in the oil control v-valve cover, the electrical components within have short… short-circuited."

These words left Goro Ota shocked. He could almost feel his soul leaving his body.

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PS: Finally completed this update with more than 2k words, and it's 3 a.m. now! This ain't easy, dudes! Please send me your monthly votes and recommendation votes! (To be continued. If you wish to find out what happens next, please log onto www.qidian.com for more chapters. Go support the author and authorized reading!)