Oil Rig’s Owner Settles Gulf Spill Case for $1.4 Billion

New York Times ^ | Jan. 3, 2013 | By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

[Brad from Tennessee]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Justice Department reached a $1.4 billion settlement Thursday with Transocean Ltd., the owner of the drilling rig that sank after an explosion killed 11 workers and spawned the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The proposed settlement resolves the department's civil and criminal probes of Transocean's role in the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster. It requires the Switzerland-based company to pay $1 billion in civil penalties and $400 million in criminal penalties and plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of violating the Clean Water Act, according to a court filing. . .

[OKRA2012]

Transocean is getting off easy.

[chopperman]

Shouldn’t Obama also be fined for botching the cleanup? As I recall, he turned down offers of help believing that some superboat would be able to do the job. When it finally arrived months late, they discovered it couldn’t do the job.

[BwanaNdege]

Where does this $1.4 Billion go?

[Sequoyah101]

Really? How do you figure that? Do you know what caused the accident and who was in charge?

[ArmstedFragg]

It’ll be interesting to see just how much of that money dedicated to coastal issues ends up in the hands of the EnviroNazis and their buddies.

[OKRA2012]

BP was in charge and holds the majority of the liability, while Transocean had staff working on and with the platform who where involved in the decision making process which led to people being killed.

[tommix2]

BP was in charge Transocean workers had to do what BP ordered them to do. They had no choice. The last helicopter had left and they were stuck on that rig. Schlumberger ordered their own helicopter to get off. Transocean guys had to quit their jobs or go along.

[CurlyDave]

Where does this $1.4 Billion go?

Wealth redistribution, where did you think it went?

[OKRA2012]

Schlumberger hands objected to the procedures that BP had ordered and got their own helicopter to pull them from the platform. And while Transocean hand had little choice, the Transocean senior engineers should have seen the same problems as the Schlumberger and pulled their people.

But, from what I have read, BP and Halliburton were the most responsible.

Schlumberger comes out looking good.

[tommix2]

Transocean senior engineers should have seen the same problems as the Schlumberger and pulled their people. They did see the same problem and they were scared, but BP didn't want to spend the money to take precaution required and put pressure on Transocean guys to go ahead. Transocean manager would have had to quit his job which he should have done ( and still be alive) to avoid proceeding. Schlumberger comes out looking good. Yes.

[Sequoyah101]

Is that so? Well, RIG didn’t have one person on the “platform”, which it wasn’t since “platforms” set on the sea floor and the “Horizon” didn’t, who was qualified or supposed to be qualified about differential testing of casing or cementing.

Apparently BP didn’t either but they, unlike Transocean, were supposed to.