By James Witherspoon 
In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that began April of 2010, questions have begun to surface for claims of damages and loss of business. As these cases are filed and precedents are being set in this situation, the question of who is responsible for the damages caused by the oil spill has become more widely discussed. Though BP was the company responsible for operating the oil rig at the time of the leak, they may not be the only responsible party.
BP has been officially recognized as the responsible party for the oil spill. The multinational company was the main owners and operators of the Deepwater Horizon rig, which was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2001. The rig, which has been in operation for the better part of the nine years that it has been in existence, was being leased by BP from March 2008 to September 2013. During that time several different entities have been part of it's operations and were active at the time of this disastrous event.
The nine-year old rig is owned by Transocean Ltd., a Swiss company that did not originally commission the building of the rig. This Swiss company was responsible for regulating drilling operations in regards to the equipment and maintenance of the platform. Any faulty practices in maintaining the rig would be the responsibility of Transocean.
Halliburton was responsible for the cementing of the well. Cement casing lines a well and is perforated at specific points to allow for oil to flow. If the cementing and well cap are proven to have been constructed in a faulty manner, Halliburton could share a great amount of responsibility for the damages caused by the leak.
These types of blowouts are not unexpected in the oil and gas industry. For this reason, blowout prevention equipment is always in place to minimize the risk for this type of event. Cameron is the company responsible for manufacturing the blowout preventer used on this rig. If their product was faulty, they too may have a major part in the cause of the leak and the resulting damage.
This oil spill is a devastating global event and the ramifications of these events are not fully known. If the Deepwater Horizon oil spill had a damaging impact on your Gulf property or business, please visit the website of Gulf of Mexico oil spill attorneys at Williams Kherkher. James Witherspoon |
