Transocean: report of the coast guard the oil spill defective (AP)

By HARRY r. WEBER, Associated Press Harry r. Weber, Associated Press - Wed Jun 8, 4: 54 pm EST

The owner of the drilling rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico last year, said Wednesday that a report by the coast guard that the flaws of the society for a poor safety culture and other gaps preceding the disaster is full of errors.

Transocean said in a response of 112 pages submitted to the Government of the United States the draft report on 22 April should be corrected. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and enforcement should publish a final report with the coast guard from the end of next month.

Switzerland-based Transocean insists that the explosion has not resulted in poor maintenance, the Eruption was well maintained and that the general alarm on the test bench did not fail to operate automatically. He also said that the engines on the test bench did not fail to close in the detection of gas.

"When a report of this importance is expected to reach conclusions and makes conclusions thus inconsistent with the evidence, questions must be raised about the process of establishing the facts and if an agenda, rather than evidence, serves as the foundation of the report," Transocean stated in its response.

A spokesman for the federal investigative team joint refused to comment on.

Multiple Government and independent investigations have accused a cascade of failures by several companies, including Transocean.

The coast guard said in his report that the decisions taken by the workers on rig "may have affected the explosions or their impact," such as do not follow the procedures of notification of the other members of the crew on the emergency situation after the explosion. He also electrical appliances which may ignite the explosion was poorly maintained, while gas detectors and automatic closure systems were circumvented so that they have not alerted the crew. And, according to the report, the rig workers ne are properly trained on how and when to disconnect from the platform of the well to prevent an explosion.

April 2010 on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion killed 11 workers and led the tide to the worse off the coast in the history of the United States. BP PLC was leasing the Transocean test bench and owned a controlling interest in the well a mile beneath the sea. According to Government estimates, some 206 million litres of oil were released by the well before he plays three months after the explosion.

Hundreds of miles of shoreline of the Gulf were stained with oil, fishers, and business owners lost their means of subsistence and new regulations were imposed as the offshore drilling industry was placed under a microscope. BP has spent tens of billions of dollars, clean up the damage and compensate the victims, and seeks to recover some of its losses from its partners on the platform.

View the original article here

Audits of the coast guard reported oil spill off the coast of Louisiana (Reuters)

HOUSTON (Reuters) - the coast guard is studying the report of an apparent oil spill "several miles" Fisherman's long near Venice, Louisiana, a spokesman for the coast guard said Wednesday.

A team seeks to determine if the substance was indeed oil, how much was dumped and where it came from, said a spokesman for the coast guard. He declined to predict the outcome would be.

"It is too early," said the spokesman.

A fisherman reported an "oily substance" in water two miles South-East of Baptiste Collette Pass, early Wednesday morning, and four investigators pollution were sent to take samples for analysis, said a press release.

"The Coast Guard has opened and is using the Oil Spill Liability Trust to start mobilizing assets to quickly resolve the situation, the press release."

(Statement by Bruce Nichols)

View the original article here

Nesting turtles provide clues on the impact of the oil spill (AP)

By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, Ramit Plushnick-masti Associated Press, Associated Press - 1 h 46 minutes ago

PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE, Texas – almost hidden by brownish sand, the Kemps ridley sea turtle digging furiously with his dorsal fins, as she has dug a hole in the shape of bottle to lay its eggs was unaware of the excitement, it was generating among scientists, volunteers and beach-goers look remote.

They included Donna Shaver, who works for more than two decades save endangered reptiles. Each spring, she has their nests and collects safe hatching eggs before releasing the tiny progeny of turtles in the sea. Shaver knows this year each nest, she sees added importance: the turtle that created survived the offshore oil spill more important in the history of the United States.

While scientists in several States are studying the effects of the tide on loggerhead and other sea, the ridley turtles Kemps were particularly worrying. The Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20, 2010 arrived when they would normally have been in the region. Most visibly oiled turtles 456 rescued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last year were Kemps ridleys.

At the height of the nesting season, their numbers looked good. May 24 155 Kemps ridley nests had been identified on the shores of Texas - more than all last year and more had been counted by this day here in 2008 and 2009. This is true for other species of sea turtles, although they have just begun nesting so it could be too early to have confidence in these figures.

And because sea turtles reach the age of childbearing at least ten years, all the effects of the tide may not be known for years.

"There is concern that some of the turtles which took the year off the coast of nesting or after that turtles have made nesting in 2010, they entered the waters where the oil had been present," said Shaver, explaining that reptiles forage often offshore coasts of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi hit before or after the nesting along the coast of Texas.

"There is concern that perhaps these turtles have been affected oil and could then have problems with their reproduction", she added.

Nesting season has long been used to estimate the size of the populations of sea turtles, and for species recovery plans are based on recorded figures where women come ashore to lay their eggs. The objective for the ridleys Kemps is to have 10,000 breeding season by 2020. At that time, the turtle of the smallest sea and endangered could be upgraded to threatened.

Shaver and its volunteers patrolled the beaches of Texas since 1980, SUVs and vehicles off-road through the heat and humidity to collect turtle eggs in foam plastic boxes and bring it to the laboratory of the National Park Service at Padre Island National Seashore of conduct. When begins to hatch, Shaver sleeps on a bed in his Office, deal for tiny turtles as if they were her babies, by ensuring that release them into the sea at the right time.

The turtle population has long been on the road to recovery. Supervised incubation protects the eggs of coyotes, raccoons, ants fire, vultures and other predators, and the nets covering silver dollar-size infants as they make their way to the beach at water guard from birds. Tiny turtles are left to deal with the items on their own only after that they reach the water.

The program was very successful, some believed that the goal of 2020 could be achieved at the beginning.

And so, the spill of oil and its potential effects were even more heartbreaking. Shaver is concerned about a severe drought that has dried sand of Texas and made turtle tracks disappear quickly will make it harder for her and his aides to find and protect the eggs of this year. It thinks if oil contamination can decrease the rate of survival for infants.

To get an idea of what may come, scientists collect additional information this year. With counting nests, they are collecting blood of nesting females and dead embryos and infants of the samples of fabrics to see if oil contamination is transmitted from mother to offspring. Contaminants experts and toxicologists will help biologists analyze the information.

Scientists also are keeping tabs on habitat of turtles, noting that if the crabs or herring they consume is fatally injured by oil, it will be in turn injured turtles.

Blair Witherington, a marine biologist and an expert of the sea turtle with the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in Florida, noted these effects are sometimes so subtle that they are not detected for years. In Chesapeake Bay, for example, the Horseshoe Crab population was seriously depleted that the loggerhead now eat fish dumped overboard by shrimpers and other fishing vessels - a diet biologists appears less nutritious and slowdown in growth, he said.

"We know well what will be the impact of oil long term," said Witherington.

While scientists collect information on the turtle nesting, they said, it is difficult to assess the total population, because animals are difficult to follow at sea and some of them, such as young people, rarely docking.

"It takes 20 years so that they reach sexual maturity." It may take long to determine if the population has been affected, ", said Roger Zimmerman, Director of the laboratory National Marine Fisheries Service in Galveston." "Unfortunately, future scientists can be to make these determinations."

The turtles covered oil concluded last year have been cleaned and rehabilitated. A group of some 30 young people came out a boat in late may in an area of approximately 50 miles south of Venice, Louisiana) - right around where they were found swimming in oil, Witherington said. Others are still to be treated.

Andre Landry, Director of sea turtle and the research laboratory of fisheries ecology at Texas A & M in Galveston, concerned juveniles, whom he knows were in search of food, living and playing in Grand Isle, Louisiana), just as oil washed ashore.

Their fate has not yet been determined - or documented.

"It's a vacuum," said Landry.

___

http://Twitter.com/RamitMastiAP

View the original article here

Fund of BP spill to an end after $ 4 billion paid: report (Reuters)

London (Reuters) - BP (BP) Fund(L) put in place to deal with compensation claims after the Gulf of the Mexico of the the 2010 oil spill begins to slow down after paying about $ 4 billion to 20 billion dollars set aside by the oil firm, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

The newspaper said that Ken Feinberg, the lawyer in charge of the Fund, had treated more than 80 per cent of the claims made by those who have suffered economically after the accident of Deepwater Horizon and until now used a little more than $ 4 billion.

"I don't envision a flood of new claims," the document CITES said Feinberg. Eight regional offices had been closed, it added.

Oil major has established the Fund in June last for victims as fishermen and property owners.

Feinberg said in an interview with Reuters in April, the Fund "worked as expected," Although some advocacy groups and local officials argued that the money was distributed slowly and unfairly.

BP (BP).(N) has estimated that the total of the costs of recovery of the well, clean up the damage caused by the largest oil spill ever off the coasts of America and to compensate those affected will be more than 41 billion dollars, including fines.

(Reported by Rosalba O'Brien.) (Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

View the original article here

BP covers $1 bn Gulf spill costs of Mitsui Japan (AFP)

London (AFP) - BP said Friday that it had recovered more than 1.0 billion from $ in costs related to the Mexico Gulf oil spill devastating year last a US subsidiary of the Japanese Mitsui & Co. trading house

The announcement was good news for the giant of British energy at the end of a week in which BP saw its hopes for the exploitation of oil in the Arctic Russian shattered.

In a statement Friday, BP said that MOEX USA Corporation agreed to pay BP 1.065 billion (EUR 744 million) in compensation.

MOEX USA Corporation holds a 10% interest in the well project Macondo, where a leak in 2010 has been an environmental disaster on the Gulf Coast.

The leak was triggered by an explosion on the platform of leased BP Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of the Mexico, April 20, 2010. The explosion killed 11 workers, caused millions of barrels of oil to projecting into the sea and left the company British scrambling to meet the costs of huge compensation.

BP said Friday that payment of Mitsui would be immediately applied to the trust put in place to respond to BP $ 20 billion US.

"This regulation is an important step for BP and the communities of the Gulf," BP Group Director General Bob Dudley said in the statement.

"MOEX is the first company to join BP to help meet our responsibility shared in the Gulf, and Mitsui, through MOEX USA Corporation, shows the great corporate citizen in standing behind its subsidiary and making a contribution to the costs of this tragic accident."

"We call on the other parties involved in the Macondo well to follow the example of the MOEX and Mitsui parties," said Dudley.

BP has called a trio of companies - Transocean, Halliburton, and Anadarko-"to contribute in the appropriate manner."

He noted that Swiss group Transocean owns and operates the Deepwater Horizon platform and the Halliburton oil services group had designed and pumped cement from the well which was considered as a key factor in the accident.

He said energy producer American Anadarko has a 25 percent participation in the project of Macondo.

BP shares reached 4.0% 466 pence in reaction to the announcement of Friday, strongly exceeding the benchmark FTSE 100 in London, approaching up 0.52% overall from noon.

"More money (from Mitsui), the positive aspect of this new is that it marks a useful precedent for BP on two levels," said Peter Hutton, an analyst with RBC capital markets Canadian investment bank."

"One, it is likely to help negotiations/applications of BP with other rights holders, including Anadarko and two, it is compatible with a notice that the charges of"gross negligence"will be difficult to prove against BP.

"The Declaration of BP highlights MOEX acknowledged the findings of the US Coast Guard report that indicates many causes by several parties," said Hutton.

To meet its own costs of compensation and to lift the 30 billion at the end of 2011, BP sells goods. On Tuesday, it announced an agreement to sell a series of oil onshore fields in the South of England to the Franco-British exploration company Perenco for up to $ 610 million.

Including this transaction, BP earned more than $ 25 billion of sales of assets since last July.

But in a great blow to the BP this week, Russian State-controlled oil giant Rosneft has withdrawn from a planned joint venture with the company after losing patience with lengthy negotiations.

The share-swap of $ 16 billion agreement fell after Rosneft and BP have been unable to redeem the local partners in the Russian joint venture TNK - BP British Cabinet.

View the original article here

Hangout Festival contributes to the recovery of post-oil spill (AP)

GULF SHORES, Ala. -There is a one-year bad vibes of oil from Deepwater Horizon spill and fears on the future of the coast of the Gulf of tourism hung as rain on the hangout Music Festival inaugural clouds this destination of the resort.

Flash forward 12 months and the festival has sold. Displays of Paul Simon, Foo Fighters and widespread panic and a place that relies heavily on tourism is more of what looks like to boost long term. Organizers Bill the three day festival, which begins Friday, as the only event where you can watch music with your toes in the sand and a view of the beach.

"What makes known wormhole such a success is that we have reserved a stellar lineup of music, in the most beautiful setting" founder hangout Shaul Zislin said. "We are also proud of our how we treat our fans, our artists and our staff." Known to all those who attended hangout last year we placed on a class first festival experience - this is what will keep people come back and tell their friends. ?

Local officials turned to the festival as a barometer for the rest of the tourist season, a year after the oil spill BP obstructed the Gulf of the Mexico and left business owners who fear a black tide on the beaches of white sand. All signs are positive. All 35,000 tickets sold it ya a month and you do not find a room in an area where you can walk to the door of your condo festival.

The sale of tickets is more than double last year's 15,000 and some of the hottest music acts signed on this year. With the stars, The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, The Flaming Lips, Avett and Cee Lo Green brothers do to a spread of paperwork this year.

Fans who did not at the beach this year can watch live concerts facts & select highlights streaming on the Internet at http://www.spin.com and www.iclips.net beginning each day at 1: 30 pm EDT throughout the weekend.

___

Online:

http://www.hangoutmusicfest.com

View the original article here

BP reduces the burden of oil with Mitsui $ 1.1 billion spill deal (Reuters)

London (Reuters) - BP (BP).(L) (BP.)(N) struck a key victory in its fight to share the cost of the Mexico Gulf oil slick, when partner Mitsui & Co agreed Friday to pay $ 1.1 billion to the Bill for cleaning andpossibly billions more fines.

Japanese trading house Mitsui unit of exploration (8031.T) MOEX belonging to 10 percent of the Macondo well but had sought to avoid paying his share of the costs, claiming BP was negligent and MOEX should be exempted from this obligation.

The regulation is probably the first of a series of settlements between BP and its partners prior to the date of the trial in February 2012 to hundreds of lawsuits related to the spill, said David a. Logan, Dean of Roger Williams University School of Law at BristolRhode Island.

"It is a signal that the parties are very unlikely this let them play through to the trial", has said Williams, who has been closely following dispute on BP. "Business leaders want predictability, and the dispute is uncontrollable and unpredictable."

Byron Stier, Professor of litigation from mass tort Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, said that the MOEX deal could be a precursor to a settlement with Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC).(N), also a part owner of the rupture of a property, but with the other defendants not necessarily.

"BP is always criticize Transocean and take a stand against them," said Stier. "That suggest that BP may be more disputes directed (with Transocean), rather than see them as one big happy family.".

Shares of BP closed 2.7% higher in London, against a rise of 0.5% in the index, STOXX Europe 600 oil and gas (.)(SXEP).

Shares of Anadarko completed up to 4.1% to $74,58 to the New York Stock Exchange. Analysts said that regulation Mitsui had removed some uncertainty as to the liability of the Anadarko.

SOCIETE Generale analyst Irene Himona, stated that the Mitsui regulations shows that a partner BP has agreed to share the responsibility and the costs of the explosion of platform oil April 2010.

"It is very important because clearly now, this means that BP may try and ensure that everyone involved will also meet their obligations,"said."".

BP has estimated the cost of recovery of the well, clean up the damage caused by the largest oil spill ever off the coasts of America and to compensate those affected will be more than 41 billion dollars, including what analysts estimate will be approximately $ 4 billion to 5 billion in fines.

Payment of the Mitsui covers its contribution to the well, cleaning of oil recovery fees and compensate those affected. Therefore, the Japanese company is paying less than one third of its potential liability for these items.

On this basis, Anadarko could be held responsible for almost $ 2.7 billion, against these elements of the total cost, based on its share of 25 percent of the wells. It is less than some investors expected.

"Anadarko has been more vocal recently on the potential of a regulation and we believe BP-Mitsui today news more increases the probability of this result,"analysts at base of Houston investment Simmons & Co has said in a note to clients of the Bank. "

Anadarko Chief Executive Jim Hackett said earlier this month that he would be willing to come to the table to establish "in the right circumstances."

Anadarko spokesman John Christiansen, said Friday: "see us willingness of BP to reach settlement with MOEX as a positive step."

BP said in a statement by email Anadarko as MOEX, signed the as a "responsible party" under the Oil Pollution Act.

"Unlike MOEX, however, Anadarko continues to avoid its responsibilities, refusing to pay for any damage, cleaning or restoration."

The statement added that BP had billed Anadarko, more than 5 billion to date. "We expect Anadarko to pay its share of the costs of the accident and the spill," he said.

MOEX remains on the hook for his part of the fines, penalties or punitive damages, from the project. In a worst case, these could double BP $ 41 billion estimate and MOEX would probably have to pay 10% of them.

MOEX has now joined BP in blaming the accident mainly on Transocean (RIGN.)(VX) (RIG.)(N), the company that BP hired to drill wells, under instruction of BP. BP sought to retrieve the full cost of the disaster of the driller Switzerland-based.

Contract with BP Transocean he indemnifies against environmental damage but if BP can prove gross negligence or that the Horizon water deep drilling was unseaworthy, it could reverse this allowance.

Transocean said the Deepwater Horizon rig is in good working condition and had passed several inspections before Government operating in the Gulf.

"As the owner and operator of the Macondo well, BP has clear financial incentives to assign blame to other parties, but its public posturing is not supported by the whole of the evidence," Transocean said in a news release by e-mail.

"Government investigations have correctly concluded that the incident of Macondo was caused by a failure of the cement into the well."

A commission appointed by President Barack Obama to investigate the explosion of the rig concluded that BP and its contractors, Transocean and cement specialist Halliburton (HAL).(N), all had errors but adds that BP is responsible for more errors than others.

Mitsui said it had no plan to change its forecast of net profit or dividend in 2011/2012 after the settlement.

On Thursday, lawyers for shareholders continues BP for losses related to the spill has proposed that the first trial is possible by mid-2012 in a Federal Court in Houston. These prosecutions are distinct from the deadly economic loss and personal injury trial before the Federal Court in New Orleans.

(Other reports by Moira Herbst in New York, Anna Driver in Houston and Sarah Young in London.) (Editing by Sophie Walker and Matthew Lewis)

View the original article here