BP Finally Stops Oil Flowing

[Njaco]

From what I've read and seen including an interview with one of the workers who was on site, Transocean had its hands tied at times by BP reps who disregarded problems or over-rode decisions. An andular/gasket was blowing rubber bits through the line days before and it was ignored. One of the key computers failed and wasn't corrected. Among other things.

Among the oil industry, BP had a reputation for safety gaffs. As stanch a conservative as I am, I have no problem when someone makes a profit but when the greed becomes so dangerous (such as Wall St) I say cut the umbellical cord.

 

[Hop]

From what I've read and seen including an interview with one of the workers who was on site, Transocean had its hands tied at times by BP reps who disregarded problems or over-rode decisions.

As the vast majority of the workers on that rig worked for Transocean, they are naturally going to blame BP. Transocean probably couldn't survive the fines the politicians are talking about imposing.

The man in charge of that rig was the captain, who is a Transocean employee.

In the high-stakes world of offshore drilling, there was in-built conflict between oil companies, such as BP, and rig operators, such as Transocean, the commission was told on the opening day of public hearings at a New Orleans hotel.

"There is natural friction between safety and caution and meeting schedules," said Larry Dickerson, who is the chief executive of Diamond Offshore Drilling, Transocean's main rival. "Our customers push us."

But he said the rig operator – in this case, Transocean – should have exercised its power to shut down BP's well operation before the blowout. "The drill company is sitting there with its hands on the brake," he said. "They have the responsibility to do that."

 

[Njaco]

I'll agree with that.

 

[BombTaxi]

Transocean are just trying to avoid their share of the pain by blaming BP. End of the day, if they knew there were safety-critical failures occurring, they should have shut the rig down. Simple as that.

On the BP-bashing front, I am only aware of one well-known Alaskan suggesting the disaster was somehow made worse by BP being 'foreign', and wouldn't have expected anything less from that individual. As for Tony Hayward, no doubt a few folks hate because he's British, but most people (including a lot of British people), hate him simply because of his stunning incompetence, complacency and flexibility with regards to the truth.

There will be a small proportion of foolish people on both sided of the Pond who will try to make this an issue of nationality. The real issue for the UK is that BP pays £1 in every 7 paid out annually by UK private pension funds, and if they go under or are taken over, our already stricken pensions market will be more or less doomed.

 

[Hop]

From what I've read and seen including an interview with one of the workers who was on site, Transocean had its hands tied at times by BP reps who disregarded problems or over-rode decisions.

Just to further expand on that, one of the most repeated allegations from the hearings in May:

Meanwhile, at an official inquiry into the blowout in Kenner, La., the Deepwater Horizon chief mechanic Doug Brown said he had witnessed a dispute between a BP official and rig workers. The dispute, Mr. Brown said, was over whether to replace heavy drilling fluid in the well with lighter seawater. He said rig workers didn't want to, but the BP "company man" overruled them: "This is how it's going to be."

Mr. Brown said the top Transocean official on the rig grumbled, "Well, I guess that's what we have those pinchers for," which he took as a reference to devices called shear rams, emergency equipment on the blowout preventer that can slam a well shut.

Report from a few days later:

According to Doug Brown, the Chief Mechanic of the Deepwater Horizon, on the day of the accident, Transocean's Harrell was arguing with BP over procedures and after being overruled by BP, said, "Well, I guess that's what we have those pinchers for," referring to the blowout preventer's shear rams, devices designed to slice through the drill pipe and close off the well to prevent catastrophe.

Harrell explained his comment, if he had made it, would refer to the chance that the nitrogen-infused cement BP decided to use to reinforce the well could cause problems. (Nitrogen-infused cement is supposed to bond faster and prevent the drilling slurry from getting into the rock formation.) Harrell testified that the cement was a relatively new Halliburton product, and he had heard it caused problems at other rigs. The Deepwater Horizon had never used cement with nitrogen in it at great depth before. Testimony Friday confirmed that the nitrogen cement was used in the deepest part of the well.
See full article from DailyFinance: Oil Spill Hearings: BP's Actions Before Disaster Look Problematic - DailyFinance

This wasn't a case of BP overruling on procedures, it was BP following the advice of the Halliburton cementing contractors.

Of course the original story got a lot of coverage, Harrell's explanation didn't get anything like as much attention.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Very interesting, its' the first I've heard about the nitrogen cement. Thanks Hop.