BP is primarily responsible for the Transocean Deepwater Horizon explosion, based on review of the currently available evidence.

Based on the currently available evidence, it appears as if the company primarily responsible for the Deepwater Horizon explosion is BP. This means lawsuits filed on behalf of deceased or injured crewmembers employed by Transocean, Halliburton, and all of the other companies that were present on the rig, will focus primarily on BP.

Despite this evidence, BP's executives are blaming the Transocean rig workers for causing the explosion.

Transocean employees: if you would like to defend yourself against BP's accusations and have your voices heard rather than swept under the rug by BP's corporate officers, contact a qualified and board certified maritime injury law firm to represent you.

HERE IS OUR REVIEW OF THE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE EVIDENCE WHICH GREATLY IMPLICATES BP:

The operation of the Deepwater Horizon was reportedly costing BP about $1,000,000 per day. Obviously, BP was drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. But, BP apparently felt it was taking too long to get to the oil. According to public reports, BP felt it should have taken them only 21 days to reach the oil and start producing monetary profits for the company. Instead, it had been 6 weeks, and still no oil.

To understand the context in which BP was operating at this point, we need to go back in time, about four weeks. At that time, according to interviews with rig workers, the blowout preventer suffered a malfunction to such a great extent that parts of the annular of the equipment came up the drill pipe and spewed on to the deck of the rig. Also, one of the control pods of the BOP lost a significant part of its functioning. BP was aware of these problems with the BOP as soon as they occurred.

Fast forward 4 weeks later, to the day of the explosion, April 20, 2010. Rig workers have indicated the plan to finish the well was to have Halliburton place 3 of its cement plugs in the column. A Transocean rig manager wanted to place the plugs with the column full of the heavy drilling fluid ("mud"). This was the safe and appropriate way to proceed, as the heavy drilling mud helps to keep the pressure contained below, and the Transocean manager should be commended for pushing this course of action.

However, the BP manager on the rig disagreed. Post-accident witness interviews reveal the BP manager wanted to begin to remove the drilling mud before the third of the 3 plugs was set. Why? One reporter recently surmised there can be only one reason: the BP manager wanted to speed things up because the operation was costing BP too much money, which was eating in to its profits.

An argument ensued between the BP manager and the Transocean manager, per witness accounts. Because BP was ultimately in charge of the entire Deepwater Horizon operation and called all the shots -- it was paying Transocean and the other companies $1,000,000 per day for rig operations -- the BP manager won the argument. BP hired Transocean on this job, and so BP was the ultimate "boss." Unfortunately, the Transocean manager likely had no choice but to acquiesce in what his BP boss wanted done.

What was the result of doing the job BP's way? Because BP wanted to hurry things along and begin removing the drilling mud before the last plug was set, this caused the pressure controlling the well to be reduced. This required the rig workers, operating under BP's orders, to make absolutely sure the first two plugs were properly keeping the pressure down. So, instead of proceeding the safest way, BP ordered the crewmembers to try to "thread the needle," so to speak, in a life or death situation.

The life or death test the workers used to make sure the pressure was at the appropriate levels was performed using the BOP. This was the same BOP that BP knew was damaged from the incident weeks earlier. Not surprisingly, the tests generated several inconsistent results, which did not communicate anything useful to the workers on the rig.

As a result of BP's instructions to do the job the quickest way, rather than the safest way, using equipment that BP knew was broken, the BOP testing mechanisms did not properly report that the pressure was being relieved too quickly, and that the two plugs that had been placed had failed. In addition, the BOP itself failed to stop the surging pressure. Result: explosion.

If the BP manager had listened to the Transocean manager, and spent the additional time it would have taken to wait until the third plug was placed before starting to remove the drilling mud, the explosion would not have occurred, according to an oil exploration expert.

WHAT IS BP'S SAFETY HISTORY?

The issue of BP's safety history is coming up in pending lawsuits arising out of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Here's a glimpse: BP was found "willfully negligent" in the explosion of its refinery in Texas City, Texas, and fined $108 million, the highest fine in U.S. history. Also, there are questions surrounding the safety of several other rigs being operated in the Gulf of Mexico. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

WHO IS BP?

BP is the largest oil producer in the U.S. BP earned profits of over $6 Billion in the first three months of 2010 alone.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN FOR LITIGATION OVER THE DEEPWATER HORIZON EXPLOSION?

Based on the current evidence that is available, BP is primarily responsible for what happened. But already, BP executives are blaming the other companies who they hired to work this job, including Transocean, Halliburton and Cameron.

By blaming companies like Transocean and the others, the BP executives are saying that the Transocean employees failed in their jobs and caused the explosion. BP is literally pointing its finger at each of the crewmembers working on the rig, from the top manager all the way down to the roughnecks and roustabouts.

In the lawsuits, we will soon find out what basis BP has to make such an allegation, in light of the fact that BP management present on the rig issued the deadly order to speed up, rather than follow the safer, albeit slower, route.

If the crewmembers who are being blamed by BP do not have competent maritime counsel representing them, they will be essentially defenseless against BP's accusations and their voices about what happened on that rig may never be heard.

Assuming the evidence doesn't change or offer any new issues to be considered, the lawsuits will necessarily target BP.

If you have questions about the ongoing Deepwater Horizon litigation, please contact us Toll Free at (877) 724-7800.