THUMS Islands
Encyclopedia
THUMS Islands are a set of four artificial islands in San Pedro Bay
off the coast of Long Beach, California
. They were built to tap into the East Wilmington Oil Field
. The landscaping and sound walls were designed to camouflage the operation and reduce noise, and they are the only decorated oil islands in the United States.
After a 1964 court case that gave the state of California mineral rights to the area, the islands were built at an estimated cost of $22 million in 1965, the islands were named after the parent companies who bid for the island contract: Texaco
, Humble Oil
(now Exxon
), Union Oil, Mobil Oil, and Shell Oil. The rim of the islands are made of 640,000 tons of boulders from Catalina Island, and the islands were then filled with 3.2 million cubic yards of dredged material from the bay. The islands contain significant landscaping, a waterfall, and tall structures concealing the drilling rig
s, including one known as The Condo and mistaken for "a ritzy hotel" by those on land. The structures are lit in colored lights at night. The aesthetic mitigation cost $10 million at time of construction, and was overseen by theme park architect Joseph Linesch. They were described by a Los Angeles Times
writer as "part Disney, part Jetsons, part Swiss Family Robinson".
In 1975, the state of California and the city of Long Beach sued the THUMS oil companies for artificially depressing oil prices. A federal jury cleared Exxon of all charges, and the other four oil companies settled out of court for "hundreds of millions of dollars".
The islands and operation were purchased by Occidental Petroleum
in 2000.
The islands were renamed in 1967 after the three astronauts who died in the Apollo 1
: Island Grissom
, Island White
, and Island Chaffee
. The fourth island is named for Theodore Freeman
, an astronaut who died while piloting a T-38 Talon
jet for NASA
.
A peak of 148495 oilbbl/d were produced in 1969. 300 Moilbbl of oil were pumped from THUMS by 1974,, the 500 millionth barrel of crude oil was pumped in 1980. By 1992, the pumping volume was 44444 barrels (7,066 m³) of oil per day through the water injection
method of oil recovery, producing low-grade crude oil. By April 2002, the 900 millionth barrel of oil was pumped. The pumped oil contained 20% water in 1965, and by 1994 it was 92% water.
Island Grissom is the closest to land, containing waterfalls and more sculptured screens than the other islands.
Island Freeman is the largest of the islands, at 12 acres (4.9 ha).
San Pedro Bay (California)
San Pedro Bay is an inlet on the Pacific Ocean coast of southern California, United States. It is the site of the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, which together form the fifth-busiest port facility in the world and easily the busiest in the Western Hemisphere...
off the coast of Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. They were built to tap into the East Wilmington Oil Field
Wilmington Oil Field
The Wilmington Oil Field is a large petroleum field in Los Angeles County in southern California in the United States in terms of cumulative oil produced. Discovered in 1932, it is the third largest oil field in the United States...
. The landscaping and sound walls were designed to camouflage the operation and reduce noise, and they are the only decorated oil islands in the United States.
After a 1964 court case that gave the state of California mineral rights to the area, the islands were built at an estimated cost of $22 million in 1965, the islands were named after the parent companies who bid for the island contract: Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
, Humble Oil
Humble Oil
Humble Oil and Refining Co. was founded in 1911. The company would later consolidate with Standard Oil of New Jersey to become Exxon.-Early history:...
(now Exxon
Exxon
Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
), Union Oil, Mobil Oil, and Shell Oil. The rim of the islands are made of 640,000 tons of boulders from Catalina Island, and the islands were then filled with 3.2 million cubic yards of dredged material from the bay. The islands contain significant landscaping, a waterfall, and tall structures concealing the drilling rig
Drilling rig
A drilling rig is a machine which creates holes or shafts in the ground. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill water wells, oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells, or they can be small enough to be moved manually by one person...
s, including one known as The Condo and mistaken for "a ritzy hotel" by those on land. The structures are lit in colored lights at night. The aesthetic mitigation cost $10 million at time of construction, and was overseen by theme park architect Joseph Linesch. They were described by a Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
writer as "part Disney, part Jetsons, part Swiss Family Robinson".
In 1975, the state of California and the city of Long Beach sued the THUMS oil companies for artificially depressing oil prices. A federal jury cleared Exxon of all charges, and the other four oil companies settled out of court for "hundreds of millions of dollars".
The islands and operation were purchased by Occidental Petroleum
Occidental Petroleum
Occidental Petroleum Corporation is a California-based oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, the Middle East, North Africa, and South America...
in 2000.
The islands were renamed in 1967 after the three astronauts who died in the Apollo 1
Apollo 1
Apollo 1 was scheduled to be the first manned mission of the Apollo manned lunar landing program, with a target launch date of February 21, 1967. A cabin fire during a launch pad test on January 27 at Launch Pad 34 at Cape Canaveral killed all three crew members: Command Pilot Virgil "Gus"...
: Island Grissom
Gus Grissom
Virgil Ivan Grissom , , better known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot...
, Island White
Edward Higgins White
Edward Higgins White, II was an engineer, United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut. On June 3, 1965, he became the first American to "walk" in space. White died along with fellow astronauts Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee during a pre-launch test for the first manned Apollo mission at...
, and Island Chaffee
Roger B. Chaffee
Roger Bruce Chaffee was an American aeronautical engineer and a NASA astronaut in the Apollo program. Chaffee died along with fellow astronauts Gus Grissom and Ed White during a pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission at Cape Kennedy...
. The fourth island is named for Theodore Freeman
Theodore Freeman
Theodore Cordy Freeman was a NASA astronaut and a captain in the United States Air Force. He was killed in the crash of a T-38 jet, marking the first fatality among the American astronaut corps...
, an astronaut who died while piloting a T-38 Talon
T-38 Talon
The Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
jet for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
.
A peak of 148495 oilbbl/d were produced in 1969. 300 Moilbbl of oil were pumped from THUMS by 1974,, the 500 millionth barrel of crude oil was pumped in 1980. By 1992, the pumping volume was 44444 barrels (7,066 m³) of oil per day through the water injection
Water injection (oil production)
Water injection refers to the method in oil industry where water is injected back into the reservoir, usually to increase pressure and thereby stimulate production. Water injection wells can be found both on- and offshore, to increase oil recovery from an existing reservoir...
method of oil recovery, producing low-grade crude oil. By April 2002, the 900 millionth barrel of oil was pumped. The pumped oil contained 20% water in 1965, and by 1994 it was 92% water.
Island Grissom is the closest to land, containing waterfalls and more sculptured screens than the other islands.
Island Freeman is the largest of the islands, at 12 acres (4.9 ha).
External links
- Occidental Petroleum: About Us: THUMS
- American Petroleum InstituteAmerican Petroleum InstituteThe American Petroleum Institute, commonly referred to as API, is the largest U.S trade association for the oil and natural gas industry...
's Energy Tomorrow tour of the islands in 2009: part 1, part 2, FLICKR picture set - Fuels Paradise: THUMS Islands Help Big Oil Look Good
- Trip to Long Beach oil fields from BusinessweekBusinessWeekBloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...