BP seeks to distance itself from spill
While BP says it will pay to clean up the mammoth oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the British oil giant has repeatedly placed blame elsewhere for the tragic rig accident last month that started it all.
How much longer it will be able to keep saying so, however, is another question.
The company likely will face a high legal bar in proving contractors involved in drilling the BP well were at fault and liable for damages, given protections BP agreed to in its lease contract for the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, one industry analyst said.
Then, there’s the question of how much oversight BP had over contractors during the various stages of drilling and building out the well prior to the April 20 blowout that sent the rig up in flames and killed 11 workers.
“I don’t see how BP can distance itself from its responsibility associated with being the final decision-maker,” said Bill Herbert, industry analyst with Houston investment bank Simmons & Company International. “Sure, the service providers are recommending and implementing solutions, but it’s BP’s drilling engineers who are approving the solutions.”
Houston Chronicle
5/10/10
Magnolia Tribune
