The Gulf of Mexico disaster on April 20, 2010 was caused by several “failures” by BP and its partners, finds the final report from US authorities.
The report, which was dedicated to the 11 crew members who died in the accident, says that “it is clear that increased vigilance and awareness by BP, Transocean and Halliburton personnel at critical junctures during operations at the Macondo well would have reduced the likelihood of the blowout occurring.”
Transocean is the company which owned the Macondo well and Halliburton provided cement that made up part of the casing.
The final report by the Deepwater Horizon Joint Investigation Team goes on to say that BP, as the designated operator, was “ultimately responsible for conducting operations at Macondo in a way that ensured the safety and protection of personnel, equipment, natural resources, and the environment.”
The resulting oil spill was the largest in US history, lasting for 87 days and spewing almost five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Oil giant BP has so far paid out more that $5billion (£3bn) in compensation to those affected.
The oil giant said in a statement: “BP agrees with the report’s core conclusion – consistent with every other official investigation – that the Deepwater Horizon accident was the result of multiple causes, involving multiple parties, including Transocean and Halliburton.”
The firm added that it “has taken concrete steps to further enhance safety and risk management throughout its global operations,” including putting in place new voluntary standards and practices in the Gulf of Mexico.
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