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BP, Transocean and Halliburton responsible for the Deepwater oil disaster face fine for breaching offshore regulations if found guilty. BP, Transocean and Halliburton, the three companies responsible for the Gulf oil spill have it in the neck for breaching offshore regulations and ineffectiveness to "protect health, safety, property and the environment by failing to perform all operations in a safe and workmanlike manner", and failing to take “measures to prevent unauthorized discharge of pollutants into offshore waters". The move by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement could be the first in charging the companies for official penalties resulting from the accident. According, to the government, the companies have breached regulations 15 times causing the death of 11 men. The Macondo well was owned by BP while Transocean was responsible for the drilling rig. Halliburton was accountable for the cement to plug the well to prevent escape of oil and gas. BP who was the controlling authority faces seven charges while the other two companies face four charges each. Although the companies do have the right appeal they are bound to face a maximum penalty of $35,000 per violation per day, if found guilty. BP said the charges against the Transocean and Halliburton "makes clear that contractors, like operators, are responsible for properly conducting their deep-water drilling activities, and are accountable to the US government and the American public for their conduct." It said, necessary steps were taken to improve safety and risk management at its deepwater operations. In addition, it was also noting down the voluntary safety standards in the Gulf of Mexico that surpassed the standards set by the regulars, counting improved supervision of contractors as well. It further said, "We continue to encourage other parties, including Transocean and Halliburton, to acknowledge their responsibility in the accident, make changes to help prevent similar accidents in the future, and step forward to fulfill their obligations to gulf communities." The citations were welcomed by BP who had previously disputed that the April 2010 disaster was not the misdoing of only its employees. BP would face a separate case under the Clean Water Act for $4,300 of fine per barrel spill. According to estimates, the 4.1m barrels spilled into the Gulf that could cost BP nearly $4.5bn to $17.6bn of damages. BP had agreed to arrive at a deal with US government to resolve its civil and criminal liabilities. Transocean on the other hand has decided to appeal against the citations. Halliburton agreed to co-operate with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement regarding the Macondo incident. Meanwhile the US has let BP make oil investments in the Gulf of Mexico less than two years after Macondo disaster. U.S. offshore-safety chief Michael Bromwich said that they have thought about the issue a lot and allowed BP’s investment in oil to continue by allowing them to bid for new oil-drilling leases known as Lease Sale 218. The author is an experienced columnist in oil related fields, who periodically writes articles related to oil prices & indexes and crude oil including tips on investment in oil. Please visit oil.com for more details.
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