BP & Causes of the Oil Spill

Dina Cappiello


AP WASHINGTON (Oct. 28) -- Tests performed before the deadly blowout of BP's oil well in the Gulf of Mexico should have raised doubts about the cement used to seal the well, but the company and its cementing contractor used it anyway, investigators with the president's oil spill commission said Thursday.

It's the first finding from the commission looking into the causes of the April 20 explosion that killed 11 workers and led to the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. And it appears to conflict with statements made by Halliburton Co., which has said its tests showed the cement mix was stable. The company instead has said BP's well design and operations are responsible for the disaster.

The cement mix's failure to prevent oil and gas from entering the well has been identified by BP and others as one of the causes of the accident.

BP and Halliburton decided to use a foam slurry created by injecting nitrogen into cement to secure the bottom of the well, a decision outside experts have criticized.

The panel says that of four tests done in February and April by Halliburton, only one - the last - showed the mix would hold. But the results of that single successful test were not shared with BP, and may not have reached Halliburton, before the cement was pumped, according to a letter sent to commissioners Thursday by chief investigative counsel Fred H. Bartlit, Jr.
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Gulf Oil Spill for August 15

The crippled undersea well has not spewed oil since July 15, when it was sealed with a temporary cap. In the coming days, BP will intersect the original well deep underground with a relief well, injecting mud and concrete to ensure the well is dead. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the federal spill response chief, said Saturday he was ordering BP to conduct more tests and offer more-detailed plans for dealing with potential complications before giving the go-ahead to complete the relief well.

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Tony Hayward Moved Aside in BP

BP’s chief executive, Tony Hayward, is stepping aside to be replaced by Robert Dudley, the company’s most senior American executive, who is currently in charge of BP’s operations in the Gulf of Mexico, according to someone close to the company’s board of directors. The change in leadership will be taken up by the board on Monday.  An official announcement could come on Tuesday if the board ratifies the plan. Mr. Hayward has been running BP since 2007.

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