Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Blame Game. It’s Back!

BP Global has charged that its subcontractor, Halliburton Energy Services, destroyed evidence of shoddy cement work on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. BP claims the “Mocondo Blowout” that caused last year’s catastrophic Gulf oil spill was caused by Halliburton’s substandard work.

More:

“BP says Halliburton ‘intentionally destroyed evidence’ after Gulf oil spill,” Vivian Kuo, CNN

 “BP says Halliburton destroyed Gulf spill evidence,” Reuters via Chicago Tribune

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Oil Spill Commission Blames Everyone

The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling released a sneak preview of its report Wednesday. Verdict: “systemic failure” by all parties involved, including government regulators. The Commission says this kind of thing could happen again.

Commission Establishes Oil Spill Blame

Contractor Halliburton knew the cement it used to seal the BP Deepwater oil rig was faulty but used it anyway, according to a report released by a federal commision. “Halliburton and BP both had results in March showing that a very similar foam slurry design to the one actually pumped at the Macondo well would be unstable, but neither acted upon that data,” according to investigators.

Thomas Roth, Halliburton’s vice-president of cementing, recently stated that his company’s tests showed the materials had “good stability,” a claim contradicted by BP officials.

Just who is to blame for the disaster?

Gulf Oil Spill: International Edition

The Korean-made Deepwater Horizon, owned by a Swiss corporation, was flying a Marshall Islands flag while drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico under contract to British-born BP. It was fitted with a Cameron International blow out preventer (BOP) and serviced by Halliburton, both Houston-based firms. Other partners in the BP oil lease: Japan’s Mitsui and Anadarko Petroleum of Texas.

There is plenty of globalized blame to go around.

Congress Establishes Oil Spill Blame

Wednesday’s Congressional hearing clearly established blame for the Deepwater Horizon Gulf Coast oil spill:

BP blamed drilling contractor Transocean for its modification of the blow out preventer (BOP) valve manufactured by Cameron International. Transocean blamed BP for submitting bum specs for modification of Cameron’s BOP valve and also a bad cementing job by another contractor, Halliburton. Valve maker Cameron blamed fittings on either side of the BOP, shifting blame to the other three companies. Halliburton claimed it completed work according  to BP plans.

There. We’re glad that’s all cleared up.

More:

See? We Told You So.

Congressional committee hearings Tuesday provided the first overt finger-pointing in the Deepwater oil-spill catastrophe. BP officials blamed their Transocean drilling contractors for the Gulf offshore oil spill; Transocean blamed both BP and service provider Halliburton. Guess what Halliburton did.

See? We told you so.

More:

“BP, Transocean and Halliburton blame each other for Deepwater Horizon spill,” Suzanne Goldenberg, The Gurdian.

“Oil companies trade blame over Gulf of Mexico spill,” Olivier Knox, AFP via Google.

“Oil executives shift blame at Senate hearing,” Steven Mufson and David A. Fahrenthold, Washington Post.

“Oil-Spill Hearing Leads to Finger-Pointing,” Sioban Hughes and Corey Boles, Wall Street Journal.

“Oil executives face Congress on spill, shift blame,” Timothy Gardner and Ayesha Rascoe, Reuters via CNN Money.

“Senators Hear a Cascade of Blame for Oil Rig Explosion,” Jim Efstathiou Jr., Businesweek.

This Oil Spill Brought To You By …

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co, Ltd — Builder of the Deepwater Horizon.
HHI Offshore and Engineering Division brochure here.

Cameron — Manufacturer of oil drilling valves. 
“Cameron CEO: ‘Too Early’ To Know Blowout Preventer Role In Rig Blast,”  Brian Baskin, Dow Jones Newswires via MorningStar.

Transocean — Owner and contract operator of the Deepwater Horizon.
“Transocean Ltd. Provides Deepwater Horizon Update” (press release).

BP Global — Transnational energy corporation.
“Update on Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Response” (Press Release).

Halliburton — Oil platform services contractor.
“HALLIBURTON PROVIDES CEMENTING FACTS REGARDING RIG INCIDENT,” (press release).

More:

“Gulf Coast attorneys general call on BP, Transocean and other Deepwater firms to guarantee long-term impact of oil spill,” Matthew Boyle – The Daily Caller

“BP, Halliburton, Transocean Told to Keep Rig Evidence,” Justin Blum and Jim Polson, Bloomberg News.

“Cameron International Corp. (formerly Cooper Cameron),” Arnold & Itkin, LLP.

 “Oil Blowout Device Maker Has $500M For Liability,” AP via WKRG-TV.

“BP’s blame-game tightrope,” Rowena Mason, Daily Telegraph.

“GoM blowout: assigning blame and liability,” Oil & Gas Financial Journal.

NEW:  “Clarifying Questions of Liability, Cleanup and Consequences,” Matthew L. Wald, New York Times.

 

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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A New Name Surfaces in the Gulf Oil Spill

 

 

 

 

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig was working for BP when it caught fire and began spilling crude into the Gulf. This is destroying the energy company’s ecologically friendly image as well as the environment. Oil rig services were provided by the Halliburton Company. The oil platform itself, though, like 137 others around the world, is owned and operated by Transocean, a Swiss corporation.

BP, formerly British Petroleum, merged with Amoco in 1998 and ARCO in 2000. BP is familiar to Americans through its service stations and advertising (“Beyond Petroleum“). Halliburton, former Vice President Dick Cheney’s old company, is known for no-bid government contracts in Iraq, among other things. Transocean is an unfamiliar name to Americans who do not work offshore or on Wall Street.

Ecological disaster looms on the Gulf Coast and BP, Halliburton and Transocean, under intense financial and legal pressure, may end up blaming each other.

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