NEW ORLEANS — The man with pinpoint accuracy who is drilling the relief well meant to plug BP’s runaway well is looking forward to finishing his mission and celebrating with a cigar, a dinner party with his crew and a trip somewhere quiet to unwind with his wife.
John Wright has never missed his target over the years, successfully drilling 40 relief wells that were used to plug leaks around the world. People along the Gulf Coast aren’t the only ones hoping he can make it 41-for-41.
“Anyone who has ever worked extremely hard on a long project wants to see it successfully finished, as long as it serves its intended purpose,” Wright, 56, who is leading the team drilling the primary relief well, said via e-mail from the Development Driller III vessel. “That is where my job satisfaction is derived.”
Wright said he was part of a team that started planning the relief well in May, working 12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week. He has been on the DDIII rig nearly nonstop since June 19.
The “bottom kill” of BP’s broken well, in which mud and cement will plug the well from below the seafloor, won’t be started before next weekend.
