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Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: the Bp Disaster

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AP Environmental Science
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: The BP Disaster
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was one of the most infamous industrial environmental disasters ever. On April 20, 2010, a marine oil-drilling dig called the Deepwater Horizon exploded, releasing hundreds of millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This explosion resulted in the loss of human life, massive environmental damage, and widespread damage to the livelihood of people living along the Gulf Coast. The organization with the largest share in the oil drill, BP (Beyond Petroleum), is still facing consequences of this spill and lost millions of dollars as well as national support. The Obama administration also received criticism
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The report faults the communication between BP and its contractors, as its contractors were short of effective training, and the key engineering capabilities of the rig personnel. Who was truly responsible for this incident? BP took the blame, but was it really entirely their fault? Here’s a list of the companies involved in the process and their respective responsibilities for the accident.
BP: Beyond Petroleum was the general contractor for this oil rig, and therefore naturally the bearer of the heavyweight responsibility. The responsibility of the total operation of the Deepwater Horizon was run by BP and they were therefore responsible to oversee all activity that would affect the safety and effectiveness of the drilling process.
Transocean: Transocean is the world’s largest offshore drilling company, and was the owner of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Transocean leased the rig to BP for the span of March 2008 to September 2013, and they were given the responsibility of monitoring safe working practices and the protection of the personnel on board.
Halliburton: Halliburton is a company that offers a broad array of oilfield services and products to oil and gas customers worldwide. Halliburton was a contractor as well as the cementer for the project. Halliburton’s job was to establish the cement barrier for this Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. Halliburton came under fire after an investigation reported that the initial fault of the
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