Hasbah 6

250 km NW of Qatar, 140 km N of Saudi Arabia, Gulf of Arabia        1980-Oct-02

On the morning of October 2, 1980, exploratory well No. 6, being drilled by the rig Ron Tappmeyer in the Hasbah oil field, blew out. Crude oil began to discharge into the Gulf of Arabia. The hazard caused by the release of hydrogen sulfide gas delayed efforts to control the blowout. The well discharged oil until October 10 when it was capped. Keyword: Boom, manual removal, vacuum trucks, sub-surface oil, blowout, skimmer..


Note: Documents are posted chronologically and early reports likely contain factual errors. These errors may be corrected in a later report.


Incident Response Documents

USCG Case History 1980-Oct-02
Behavior of Oil 1980-Oct-02
Resources at Risk 1980-Oct-02
Other Special Interest 1980-Oct-02
Other Special Interest Issues 1980-Oct-02
References 1980-Oct-02
Countermeasures/ Mitigation 1980-Oct-02
Shoreline Types Impacted 1980-Oct-02

Incident Details

Products of concern: Crude Oil

Latitude (approximate): 20° 10.00' North
Longitude (approximate): 50° 0.00' East

Counter measures:
Dispersants: Evaluated and applied
In-Situ Burn: Not applicable
Bioremediation: Not applicable

NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) provides science-based solutions to protect and restore the nation’s natural resources from coastal environmental hazards. OR&R serves the nation by providing expertise and a suite of products and services critical for making science-based response decisions that prevent further harm, restore natural resources, and promote effective planning for future incidents.