BP cost-cutting, conflicts preceded Gulf disaster, U.S. says
BP Plc (BP) managers overseeing the Macondo well were distracted by cost overruns and personal conflicts in the weeks before the April 2010 disaster that fouled the Gulf of Mexico with almost 5 million barrels of oil, Bloomberg said citing the US DOI/USCG report.
A 212-page report issued today by a joint Department of Interior-Coast Guard panel reflects a management team in disarray when it was supposed to be monitoring and directing the “critical” final stages of drilling the well 40 miles (62 kilometers) off the Louisiana coast.
While holding BP “ultimately responsible” for ensuring the safety of crew members and the environment, Transocean Ltd. (RIG), owner of the rig that was drilling the well, and Halliburton Co. (HAL) shared some blame for the catastrophe that killed 11 workers, injured 17 and led to the worst U.S. marine oil spill, the report said. All three companies violated federal offshore safety regulations, the panel concluded. Halliburton provided the cement used in the well and related technical services.
John Guide, the BP engineer who led the team that designed and oversaw the Macondo project, based key decisions involving equipment selection and safety tests on whether they would boost costs for a project that was already $58 million, or 61 percent, over budget, the report said.
A 212-page report issued today by a joint Department of Interior-Coast Guard panel reflects a management team in disarray when it was supposed to be monitoring and directing the “critical” final stages of drilling the well 40 miles (62 kilometers) off the Louisiana coast.
While holding BP “ultimately responsible” for ensuring the safety of crew members and the environment, Transocean Ltd. (RIG), owner of the rig that was drilling the well, and Halliburton Co. (HAL) shared some blame for the catastrophe that killed 11 workers, injured 17 and led to the worst U.S. marine oil spill, the report said. All three companies violated federal offshore safety regulations, the panel concluded. Halliburton provided the cement used in the well and related technical services.
John Guide, the BP engineer who led the team that designed and oversaw the Macondo project, based key decisions involving equipment selection and safety tests on whether they would boost costs for a project that was already $58 million, or 61 percent, over budget, the report said.