OIL EXECUTIVES POINT FINGERS IN CONGRESS OVER OIL SPILL

12.05.2010 [12:33]
Print
A⁺ A^-

Baku, May 12 (AZERTAC). Oil executives have traded blame in Congress over the Gulf Coast oil spill, as the battle to contain it continues, according to the BBC.

British oil giant BP told a Senate hearing a crucial safety device made by drilling contractor Transocean failed.

Senators heard Transocean argue in turn that BP had been in charge and that a third firm, a BP contractor, did not plug the exploratory well properly.

President Barack Obama was said by the White House to be “deeply frustrated” the oil leak had yet to be stopped.

The Obama administration has announced a break-up of the federal oil industry watchdog amid fears of a conflict of interest.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told reporters the administration would “establish independence and separation” for the Minerals Management Service, which both inspects rigs and collects oil royalties.

Eleven people died when an explosion destroyed the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on 20 April.

Some 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons) of oil a day have been gushing into the sea since then, threatening the delicate ecosystem of the US Gulf coast.

Soldiers using helicopters and bulldozers, helped by prison inmates, are battling to contain the slick.

BP`s efforts to cap the well were set back at the weekend when a giant metal funnel lowered over the site suffered a build-up of ice-like crystals and had to be put aside.

BP hopes to make a second attempt this week to seal the well.

The oil giant`s latest plan is to ram rubbish such as golf balls and shredded tyres into the leak to block the hole.

The broken pipe is almost a mile (1.6km) below the ocean`s surface, with little visibility for remote-controlled vehicles. A relief well is being drilled but may take up to three months to complete.

OIL EXECUTIVES POINT FINGERS IN CONGRESS OVER OIL SPILL

FEEDBACK