BP says Halliburton destroyed Gulf spill evidence

BP says Halliburton destroyed Gulf spill evidence

www.reuters.com

BP Plc accused Halliburton Co of destroying evidence that the oilfield services company did inadequate cement work on the Gulf of Mexico oil well that blew out last year, and asked a federal judge to punish Halliburton.

The accusation, in a BP court filing, raises the stakes ahead of a trial, expected in late February, to assign blame and damages for the April 2010 blowout of the Macondo well, which triggered the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Citing recent depositions and Halliburton's own documents, BP said Halliburton "intentionally" destroyed the results of slurry tes

(visit the link for the full news article)

So far these are just allegations, but destroying evidence such as test results and computer data is a serious crime. Regrettably these huge corporations are above the law.

The information in the article indicates that Halliburton may have something to hide. How nice and convenient for that data to go missing.

I smell a rat.

www.reuters.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Given the gross number of spills that Halliburton has had a hand in, I dont doubt it for a second.

Anything to try and save face.

Originally posted by captaintyinknots
Given the gross number of spills that Halliburton has had a hand in, I dont doubt it for a second.

Anything to try and save face.

Anything to get out of responsibility.

Anything to save money.

Nice...two oil giants going head to head in court....Who does the Judge side with! They're both his employer!

BP's pissed because they got stuck with the blame where Halliburton made a fortune on the cleanup (coincidence that Halliburton bought/invested in oil spill cleanup services/machines/chemicals some months before?)

Originally posted by Vardoger
Nice...two oil giants going head to head in court....Who does the Judge side with! They're both his employer!

BP's pissed because they got stuck with the blame where Halliburton made a fortune on the cleanup (coincidence that Halliburton bought/invested in oil spill cleanup services/machines/chemicals some months before?)

Not only did haliburton get rich from the cleanup, they were getting rich from the setup of the rigs as well. So basically, you have a company setting up the rigs to drill, doing it poorly, and then getting paid to clean it up when it fails.

Why would one oil corporation point fingers at another? They are all guilty of this stuff.
They are above the law and will get away with it today, tomorrow and the day after until the public takes action.

It’s sad to see the earth get destroyed, but what’s sadder is watching people not care and not doing anything about it.

I have a suggestion.... When BP has been made to pay the billions upon BILLIONS upon more 10's of BILLIONS of dollars in damage they have done to the good people of the Gulf Coast and the precious waters of the Gulf itself, we can all sit down and have a long talk about what nasty insider secrets BP may or may not know about Halliburton or anyone else. I'd like to know, actually.

However, it means less than zero to my ears while they use it as a ploy to shift blame from themselves and cover their own butts. It may be 100% true. I simply don't CARE until BP has been brought to the payment window with their corporate checkbook and damn near run broke in making this right. Some things can never be made entirely right...but we can sure run them into the poor house trying.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I get your point, but you cannot ignore the fact that it wasnt JUST a BP thing. They have taken the brunt of the blame, but haliburton and other companies had as much, or more of a hand in the spill than they did.

Two big companies going at it? Glad to see it.

Originally posted by captaintyinknots
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

I get your point, but you cannot ignore the fact that it wasnt JUST a BP thing. They have taken the brunt of the blame, but haliburton and other companies had as much, or more of a hand in the spill than they did.

How exactly wasn't it a BP thing?

Oh come on now, this hasn't had enough time pass to start re-writing history yet. Transocean had direct site control and ultimate blame, but behind them stood BP directing corporate policy and priorities for long term decision making and site direction for what happened in the bigger picture on Deep Horizon.

If it wasn't BP, exactly WHO was it and why was BP all but falling over themselves to not only turn the coast lines of 2 states into virtual clean up stations running hundreds of miles....but controlled the whole shooting match from their little headquarters center in Louisiana? I'm sorry, but the time for them to point to other guilty parties was during the original process of lining out who was taking what legal liability for clean up operations as it was happening. They took almost TOTAL control and they ran the whole show to the last day of operations at the coast line and on the beach. They bought it, even if it hadn't been their tar baby to begin with. Which...as it happens...it WAS.

AFTER they're destroyed...they are more than welcome to sue these smaller players for compensation to what BP was forced to put out. Fine by me.....but the buck has to stop somewhere and BP is the desk it comes to a screeching halt on. I'll go to my death bed with clear memories of that gaping whole in the Earth spewing oil at unimaginable pressures 24/7...week after horrible week.

Surprise surprise.

Halliburton bought Boots&Coots, the oil cleanup company just days before the disaster, and thus was responsible for it's own cleanup of the faulty well-casing cement.

From Disaster capitalists: Halliburton to make money off oil spill

The New York Times reported in May that BP was concerned about the rig’s well casing — which Halliburton worked on — as early as June of 2009. The Times also reported that a Halliburton employee warned BP three weeks before the explosion that BP’s use of cement for the well casing was “against [Halliburton's] best practices.”

But even if the company’s purchase of Boots and Coots was just a “lucky coincidence,” there is still plenty about it to alarm observers. According to CSM, analysts are worried that a company like Halliburton will grow “complacent” in preventing disasters, because there is money to be made from cleaning up the mess — and then rebuilding the oil rig.

There's strong evidence to suggest Halliburton was aware of the problems in it's own casing work at BP's well and moved to acquire cleanup companies preceding any disaster. That left them in the prime position to respond to their own disaster, and could easily cover-up their shoddy work leaving BP on the hook (not that BP didn't have their own faults in all this).

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000

Originally posted by captaintyinknots
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

I get your point, but you cannot ignore the fact that it wasnt JUST a BP thing. They have taken the brunt of the blame, but haliburton and other companies had as much, or more of a hand in the spill than they did.

How exactly wasn't it a BP thing?

Oh come on now, this hasn't had enough time pass to start re-writing history yet. Transocean had direct site control and ultimate blame, but behind them stood BP directing corporate policy and priorities for long term decision making and site direction for what happened in the bigger picture on Deep Horizon.

If it wasn't BP, exactly WHO was it and why was BP all but falling over themselves to not only turn the coast lines of 2 states into virtual clean up stations running hundreds of miles....but controlled the whole shooting match from their little headquarters center in Louisiana? I'm sorry, but the time for them to point to other guilty parties was during the original process of lining out who was taking what legal liability for clean up operations as it was happening. They took almost TOTAL control and they ran the whole show to the last day of operations at the coast line and on the beach. They bought it, even if it hadn't been their tar baby to begin with. Which...as it happens...it WAS.

AFTER they're destroyed...they are more than welcome to sue these smaller players for compensation to what BP was forced to put out. Fine by me.....but the buck has to stop somewhere and BP is the desk it comes to a screeching halt on. I'll go to my death bed with clear memories of that gaping whole in the Earth spewing oil at unimaginable pressures 24/7...week after horrible week.

edit on 5-12-2011 by Wrabbit2000 because: (no reason given)

It was BP. It was Haliburton. It was transocean. It was many, many others.

No rewriting of history, just looking at it from the full perspective, not a short sighted view.

I do believe the blame lies with us for allowing such crimes against the earth to happen. It's easy to point the finger at these billion dollar corporations but in the end the buck stops with us, and our ever growing dependance on oil.

If you own a car you are partially responsible.

Originally posted by Corruption Exposed


So far these are just allegations, but destroying evidence such as test results and computer data is a serious crime. Regrettably these huge corporations are above the law.

Fortunately the fact that this is in court shows that your regrets are mere hyperbole.

Maybe somebody can help me with this: There are a few issues with the Deepwater Horizon disaster that are either coincidences or part of some weird conspiracy.

First of all, how coincidental was it that National Geographic had a whole filming crew on the site of the Deepwater Horizon, just in time to see it explode? Of all the rigs in the gulf, they happened to choose that one, at that time.

Secondly, the Nat Geo crew, right after the disaster, published photos on the net, and one of the photos that was taken on board the rig as the employees were evacuating showed a guy dressed all in black, with "BLACKWATER" written on the back of his shirt. He was fully armed. I have since tried to find this photo and cannot locate it.

What is the reason to have a fully armed private security force on an oil rig? I can think of a few reasons, such as being the law in case the employees get crazy, or perhaps pirates (yeah, that's a stretch), but Blackwater (now Xe) and Halliburton have been in cahoots for lots of shady adventures.

Anybody have any thoughts or information on this?

reply to post by FissionSurplus


I have been suspicious of Halliburton way before the Gulf Spill. When I found out that Halliburton worked on the BP well right before the accident many different theories went through my head, and of course the fact that they bought that cleaning company right before was fishy too.

The way I see it is if Dick Cheney is associated with it, it's bad.

Sorry I never saw that picture you mentioned.

reply to post by captaintyinknots

Fair enough on that, and I agree that ultimately, any full accounting of the horror of the gulf will probably run a couple single spaced pages for entities with some responsibility before, during or after. You're dead on for that.

I just fear that before the main player is held to account, any effort to divert attention or resources from that main player will only serve to let them off lighter than they deserve. Nothing we can do to BP and the corporate officers serving when this happened is enough to make right what happened... Not really..

I still have hope that when Obama is out and the man directing the effort has no personal skin to lose over the outcome, this issue will be revisited and some accountability demanded.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I agree with you whole heartedly. This was more than likely released as a deflection, in an attempt to lower the blame that bp takes. Bp needs to be nailed to the wall for this.

My fear, though, is that bp will take the hit, and the other companies will skirt under the radar, with a slap on the wrist if anything. All of the companies are liable, and all should be held to account.

The scariest part about the whole thing, though, is how little haliburton gets mentioned in conjunction with this disaster. Haliburton has been involved in dozens of spills. Like I said before, they get rich to set up these rigs, do a poor jobs of it, and then get rich doing the cleanup. They are the most corrrupt corporation on this planet, andare just as much at fault as bp.

Originally posted by ThrowCatsAtCacti
Why would one oil corporation point fingers at another? They are all guilty of this stuff.
They are above the law and will get away with it today, tomorrow and the day after until the public takes action.

It’s sad to see the earth get destroyed, but what’s sadder is watching people not care and not doing anything about it.

At this point it isn't between BP or Halliburton, they're blood brothers, it's a game to see who can avoid paying more. Like a wife suing her husband after a dwi accident. In that scam it's legal for a spouse to sue a spouse if they are driving and they get in an accident which causes any harm. My neighbors did it and got over 80k after the leeches cut. They're happily married and both still drive after drinking.

I wouldn't be shocked to hear that the two CEO's made a side bet while golfing together last week in Aruba. Bottle of $50,000 Scotch to the guy who can shift the most blame.

As has already been pointed out, they actually made more money on the cleanup than they'll have to pay in damages. This will buffer away in the courts for years before anything will get settled. They will drag this out as long as they can.