Congress Questions Well Design in Letter to BP

The United States Congress Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations recently sent a letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward raising concerns over decisions BP made leading up to the fatal explosion of the Deepwater Horizon that claimed the lives of 11 maritime workers.

Among concerns raised in the letter is the issue of the well design. According to the letter, BP installed the final section of steel tubing in the well on April 19, one day prior to the explosion.

There were two primary options afforded to BP. The letter states that the first option was to lower a full string of “casing” from the top of the wellhead to the bottom of the well. The second option involved hanging a “liner” from the lower end of the casing already in the well and installing a “tieback” on the top of the liner.

The latter option was considered a safer procedure, but would have required additional time and cost $7 to $10 million more. Consequently, BP chose the first option which was considered to be more risky.

It is unclear as to whether this decision was the actual cause of the blowout, but the letter accuses BP of making several decisions for economical reasons.

If you or someone you know has been injured on the Deepwater Horizon or during the cleanup efforts of the oil spill, you should contact one of our experienced maritime attorneys at the Law Offices of Vujasinovic & Beckcom P.L.L.C. at (713) 224-7800 or (877) 724-7800.