Can The Oil Spill On The Gulf Be Blamed On Halliburton?

Submitted by renee bass on Mon, 05/24/2010 - 05:01.

As the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is spreading, allegations are coming to light that this might be the Halliburton oil spill. BP claimed all the responsibility for paying for the oil spill cleanup, and Transocean was operating the oil drilling platform - but both may now be seeking to Halliburton for oil spill answers.

Halliburton’s involvement in the oil spill

Being leased to BP although the Deepwater Horizon was owned by Transocean, Halliburton was working as a contractor when the oil spill started. Transocean hired Halliburton to cement the oil well. Cementing an oil well is when cement is pumped into an oil well to plug it and prevent an oil spill and combustible gas from leaking. When the cement is improperly mixed, improperly pumped, or cracked, Natural gas and oil will push through it. The well had just been finished being cemented when the Deepwater Horizon had just finished. To convince others it wasn’t their fault, Halliburton will need more than payday loans.

Oil spill concerns with Halliburton

The Halliburton oil spill concerns come from the oil rig cementing process. Halliburton is the largest oil well cementing business in the world, and also the process accounts for 11 percent - or $ 1.7 billion - of the company's business. When the cementing process goes wrong, a Halliburton oil spill is generally the result. A 2007 study found that "cementing was a factor in 18 of 39 well blowouts within the Gulf of Mexico over a 14-year period." Basically, Halliburton cementing issues are a lot more common than equipment failure and pipe failure when it comes to the cause of Gulf of Mexico oil spills. Australia and other countries have also experienced Halliburton oil spills.

Halliburton and oil spill lawsuits

The possibility of a Halliburton oil spill is what multiple lawsuits are depending off of. Natalie Roshto, wife to one of the Transocean employees who was killed, has filed a lawsuit against Halliburton. This lawsuit claims that the explosion and ensuing oil spill were the fault of Halliburton. The lawsuit specifically states that "prior to the explosion, (Halliburton) was engaged in cementing operations of the well and well cap and, upon data and belief, improperly and negligently performed these duties, which was a cause of the explosion."

Oil spill responsibility is not claimed by Halliburton

Though BP has agreed to pay for part of the cleanup of the oil spill, and Transocean is taking responsibility for a portion of the oil spill, Halliburton has not claimed any responsibility. Halliburton has only confirmed that the corporation had just completed cementing about 20 hours before the explosion.

Article Resources

Financial Times

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/48419230-57a3-11df-855b-00144feab4...The Atlantic

http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2010/05/halliburt...

Wall Street Journal

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870357250457521...CBS Newshttp://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20004069-503544.html