Coast Guard Lays Oil Rig Explosion Blame Squarely at Transocean's Feet

Since the Deepwater Horizon explosion last year, Transocean has tried to blame other companies involved in drilling operations, including BP and Halliburton, for the tragedy.  To maritime lawyers familiar with the company's tactics, this was not exactly unexpected.  However, the Coast Guard has just issued its report into the explosion, and has blamed Transocean for the disaster.

According to the Coast Guard report, Transocean’s poor safety culture and its failure to invest in emergency training and equipment maintenance were prime factors in the explosion.  The report also makes mention of the procedures followed by some of the crew members on the rig, such as failing to notify other workers about the potential emergency situation after the explosion, as factors in the disaster.

According to the report, electrical equipment on the rig that could have possibly limited the extent of the explosion, was poorly maintained.  Vital gas alarms and automatic shutdown mechanisms that would have alerted the crew to the blast were bypassed.  Besides, the crew members had not received adequate training about how to respond in case of an emergency like this.  The Coast Guard report says that Transocean had a shoddy safety culture that failed to prepare workers for a disaster of this magnitude.

The report also blames poor oversight by the Deepwater Horizon’s flag state, the Republic of the Marshall Islands.  Transocean registered the Deepwater Horizon in the Republic of the Marshall Islands in 2005.  According to the Coast Guard report, the Marshall Islands failed to inspect the rig properly, and failed to ensure that its crew training, equipment maintenance and emergency response systems were in order.