[Paddlewise] 60 Minutes has More Detailed Info on the Deepwater Horizon Blowout

On www.cbsnews.com under "60 minutes" there is a Part One and Part Two of
"Deepwater Horizon's Blowout" that features a lengthy interview of the rig's
chief electronics technician. They are worth watching, in my opinion.
Several details are clarified. He describes some serious problems that
weren't addressed including possible damage to the BOP which may have made
pressure tests of the well invalid leading them to assume that some things
were safe when they weren't.

He also describes a meeting in which the BP manager on the rig overrules the
rig manager employed by Transocean when it comes to a critical step in
making the well safe pending production.

The well was, apparently, completed and the crew was in the process of
sealing it off and leaving it until a production rig could connect to it and
begin producing and transporting crude oil to a refinery. The cement job
(which I assumed was cementing the casing but was, instead, placing three
cement "slugs" in the well which would seal the well. The Transocean manager
wanted to place the slugs while there was still "mud" in the well while the
BP manager wanted to place two slugs with mud, then evacuate the mud and
place the last slug. The BP guy won, apparently. But if they could not rely
on pressure tests telling them what the pressures were in the well (because
the BOP could have been damaged) then the "slugs" that Hailiburton placed
might not have been enough to keep them under control.

The guy also describes poor attention to safety (which was the attitude I
experienced when I was working on these rigs in the 70s and 80s. Typically
there are a lot of "safety posters", meetings, awards, etc. but actual
safety is often overlooked. I have also known of employees who were
seriously injured being flown to shore, sent to a hospital and then fired
and no record of the accident made. One guy, a member of the kitchen staff,
fell in a doorway (which had a raised sill) and the sill caught him in his
back. The rig manager refused to let a "kitchen helper" ruin his safety
record so he fired the guy and flew him off the rig the next day. None of
this was unusual for the industry then... and I expect that nothing has
changed.

If BP's managers overruled a Transocean manager then it might be difficult
for BP to continue to maintain that Transocean was responsible for
operations and safety. But if Transocean knew (or should have known) that
part of the BOP was damaged then that muddies (no pun intended) the waters.

If I were damaged by this spill I would not be holding my breath for any
payments. I wonder if the $5000 checks BP gave to some fishermen were given
as a settlement of damages and will preclude them from going after BP for
more.

It's all about the bottom line.... not much about the bottom of the ocean.

Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net
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