There was a touch of legal drama in the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster yesterday. The 350 tonne, 50 feet high blowout preventer that should have prevented the explosion in the BP oil well, was effectively placed under "arrest" by US authorities. By Roland Gribben
Published: 10:15PM BST 05 Sep 2010
Comments The Deepwater Horizon blowout preventer is lifted out of the Gulf of Mexico The Deepwater Horizon blowout preventer is lifted out of the Gulf of Mexico
Admiral Thad Allen, the retired Coast Guard commander in overall charge of the operation, declared that the preventer "will be taken into custody" and become part of the "evidence material that's been required by the joint investigative team".
His comments reflected another shift in the direction of a tragedy that has claimed 11 lives, cost BP chief executive Tony Hayward his job, BP and its shareholders at least $50bn (£32.3bn), diminished the credibility of President Obama, disrupted fishing and tourism, and threatened the environment around the Gulf states.
The preventer, now under close guard and inspection, has almost assumed a criminal dimension. It will form a crucial part of the evidence the US Justice Department is examining to see whether BP or Transocean, owners of the stricken Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, have broken any rules that could result in a successful prosecution. Law enforcement officers were on hand to take charge as soon as the preventer broke surface, 500ft above the seabed.
BP is already facing more than 300 private civil lawsuits resulting from the April 20 explosion and oil spill but the prospect of a Justice Department prosecution, whether civil or criminal, is likely to be the most damaging if not costly.
The information provided from an exhaustive examination will play a vital part in any case mounted against BP. Experts want to know whether the failure was down to the equipment or human error.
BP has completed its own investigation into the accident and the report, produced by Mark Bly, head of group safety and operations is due to be published shortly.
The old preventer was successfully replaced by BP with a new one, leading Adml Allen to declare that the damaged well drilled by the rig "does not constitute a threat to the Gulf of Mexico at this point".
