blowout preventer

9 Stories

BP Sues Maker of Blowout Preventer

Move comes on anniversary of Deepwater Horizon explosion

(Newser) - BP today marked the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion by pinning the blame squarely on someone else—namely the maker of the rig's blowout preventer. The company sued Cameron International in federal court in New Orleans, claiming that the "flawed design" of the blowout preventer was...

Transocean Execs Land Fat Safety Bonuses
 Transocean Execs 
 Land Fat Safety Bonuses 
WHAT OIL SPILL?
Apr 3, 2011 7:26 AM CDT

Transocean Execs Land Fat Safety Bonuses

Company had 'best year in safety performance'

(Newser) - That minor explosion that killed 11 people and dumped 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico aside, it seems Transocean had a banner year in terms of safety. And to celebrate the "best year in safety performance in our company's history"—despite noting the "...

BP Report: Everybody Screwed Up

Inquiry concludes spill was result of interwoven mistakes

(Newser) - BP has published its own report on what went wrong on its doomed Macondo well, and predictably, the blame gets spread around among "multiple companies and work teams." While admitting BP workers misread pressure readings, the oil giant points its finger squarely at TransOcean's rig crew and Halliburton's...

Blowout Preventer Raised to Surface

Key oil spill evidence could shed light on elusive question

(Newser) - Investigators may now be able to answer the most elusive question since a rig explosion unleashed the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill more than four months ago, as they get a close-up view of a key piece of equipment for the first time: Why didn't it stop the oil?...

At Last: BP Raises Blowout Preventer

Key piece of evidence should tell feds what went wrong

(Newser) - BP is slowly raising from the depths of the Gulf the blowout preventer that, well, failed to prevent a blowout at its infamous Macondo well. The 50-foot, 300-ton device is on a delicate mile-long trip to the surface that will place it in the hands of federal investigators eager to...

BP Skipped Certification of Blowout Preventer

They also changed safety test at last minute

(Newser) - Yet more details are emerging on the missteps that may have led to the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Among them: The all-important blowout preventer wasn’t recertified in 2005, as required by federal regulations, one worker responsible for maintaining the equipment told investigators yesterday. Transocean tells the AP that the blowout...

BP Threading Tube in Latest Bid to Plug Leak

It's the latest solution of the day

(Newser) - At first, BP tried to stop the oil rushing into the Gulf of Mexico by flipping a blowout preventer switch. A week ago, they attempted to capture the leak with a 100-ton box. The latest experiment? Trying to guide a skinny, mile-long tube into the gusher. BP technicians were gingerly...

New BP Plan: Fix the Failed 'Blowout Preventer'

Which failed in an outrageous number of ways, Congress heard yesterday

(Newser) - So far, nothing BP has tried to do to stop the flow of oil into the Gulf has worked, but company and Obama administration officials tell the New York Times they're optimistic about their latest plan: fixing the underwater “blowout preventer” that was supposed to seal off the spill...

Methane Bubble Triggered Blast Aboard Oil Rig

Gas cloud covered Deepwater Horizon, then she blew

(Newser) - The deadly Deepwater Horizon blowout was triggered by a bubble of methane gas that shot up the drill column, expanding quickly as it burst through several seals and barriers before exploding, according to interviews with rig workers. "A small bubble becomes a really big bubble," says an expert...

9 Stories
Most Read on Newser