In the latest assessment of last year’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill accident, the U.S. Coast Guard soundly criticized the rig’s owner, Transocean, on numerous grounds, saying the company’s mistakes exacerbated the disaster.

 

The Coast Guard report mentions “numerous systems deficiencies, and acts and omissions by Transocean and its Deepwater Horizon crew.”

 

Specifically, it highlights “poor maintenance of electrical equipment that may have ignited the explosion, bypassing of gas alarms and automatic shutdown systems that could prevent an explosion, and lack of training of personnel on when and how to shutdown engines and disconnect the [Deepwater Horizon mobile offshore drilling unit] from the well to avoid a gas explosion and mitigate the damage from an explosion and fire.” The report also criticizes Transocean for failing to “instill a culture that emphasizes and ensures safety.”

 

In addition to placing blame on Transocean, the Coast Guard also deals harshly with the nation of the Marshall Islands, under whose flag the Deepwater Horizon operated. As the flag state, the Republic of the Marshall Islands was supposed to inspect and regulate the rig, but instead turned over these responsibilities to the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Det Norske Veritas (DNV).

-David Wallechinsky

 

Coast Guard Investigative Report on Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Fire, Sinking Blasts Rig Owner Transocean (by David Hammer, New Orleans Times-Picayune)

US Oil Spill: Transocean 'Contributed' to Gulf Disaster (BBC News)

Preliminary Deepwater Horizon Report Rips Transocean, Marshall Islands (by Robert L. Cavnar, Huffington Post)

Report of Investigation into the Circumstances Surrounding the Explosion, Fire, Sinking and Loss of Eleven Crew Members aboard the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Deepwater Horizon (U.S. Coast Guard) (pdf)