ABSTRACT
The third example is the British Petroleum (BP) oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. As the crisis grew, many vessels participated in bringing the disaster under control-too many for one central command to ensure safety for all of them. Complexity theory was in play during this crisis as well. The U.S. Coast Guard command along with BP leadership decided on an entirely different command structure. A group of vessels would be assigned to do its work. This team was independent but did affect the rest of the program. The vessels were very close to each other within the same
group and between groups. There were massive tankers and fishing vessels. All had to be cognizant of the environment yet independent of each other.
