The Ixtoc I blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, 1979

1979

The Ixtoc I well ran wild for nine months from 1979, one of the largest accidental marine oil releases on record. Cousteau's own operation had lived off oil money: the Calypso paid off her refit debts on Persian Gulf prospection, and Precontinent III's headline result was servicing a wellhead at 110 metres.