Who Is Responsible For the Gulf Oil Disaster?
BP has released its report of the internal investigation carried out by its own Head of Safety
, into the Gulf of Mexico oil rig disaster. No surprise then that BP has carefully avoided accepting all the blame for the explosion, the deaths of eleven rig workers and the massive oil spill, estimated to be in the region of 56 million gallons or 1.6 million barrels of crude oil, released into the sea.
BP has pointed the finger at their contractor Halliburton, and the owner and operator of the Deep Water Horizon rig, Transocean. Alleged failure by both contractors is identified in the BP report, ranging from failure to carry out operations to required standards, technical errors and human error.
The contractors have of course responded to BP allegations, by passing the buck right back to the company for alleged design and engineering flaws, related to the oil well. Strange how the contractors did not notice well design issues prior to commencement of the drilling operation?
There can be little doubt that BP should bear the lion share of the guilt and overall responsibility for the disaster. There are allegations being made that cost saving measures lay behind the blow out and rig explosion.
Drilling was apparently 45 days behind schedule and way over budget. BP has also been criticized for sending the faulty blow out preventer to China for servicing to save money, instead of having the equipment serviced more expensively in the U.S. Of course the Chinese will not bear any liability as international law has no sway in China.
Whichever way BP decide to apportion blame to mitigate their liability, even if its contractor and rig operator are responsible for some of the errors leading to the accident, there can be no doubt that their own people should have been supervising operations rigorously, ensuring that adequate management controls were in place to prevent the catalog of errors leading to the disaster.
The U.S government investigation into the accident is expected to be complete by the new year. No doubt that the findings of the enquiry will lay the blame squarely on BP who will bear the liability for loss of life and the grief caused to the families of those killed, as well as for the environmental and economic catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico.
The U.S Government has been scathing in its criticism of BP. During the Committee meetings where the out-going BP CEO Tony Hayward appeared, bearing a strong resemblance to a frightened rabbit, the proceedings were akin to a 'kangaroo court' where decisions regarding liability had already been made. There is no reason to believe the outcome of the official report will be any different.
The U.S, as the largest consumer of energy and oil in the world, must allocate blame to someone, preferably the non-US owned company, for the environmental and economic disaster that occurred in the Gulf.
It is noticeable that there has been no mention about the U.S thirst for cheap energy that lay behind the real cause of the disaster. Who can forget the recent mantra of the half-baked' Alaskan, Sarah Palin who shortly before the spill declared "drill baby drill?"
The businesses affected by the spill such as fishing and tourism are all users of oil. Their industry benefits one way or another from cheap fuel, the price of which bears no relation to the environmental impact of its use, either from its production or from greenhouse gas emissions.
The Gulf fishing industry was badly affected by the spill. However, fishing does not have a benign impact upon the marine environment. Over-fishing depletes fish stocks. Fish farming also causes environmental damage from pollution of the marine environment.
While it is highly unpleasant to witness the sight of oiled seabirds, dead marine life and ruined coastal habitat resulting from the spill, as we drive our cars, fly to our vacation and switch on the TV, we should remember that as consumers we are all guilty by association of causing disaster such as Deepwater Horizon.
Who Is Responsible For the Gulf Oil Disaster?
By: Bill Bloggs
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