Transocean defense takes center stage at Gulf oil spill trial

Transocean’s defense takes center stage today as the fourth week of the civil trial over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill begins. As The Houston Chronicle reports, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that exploded in the Gulf off Louisiana is expected to call to the stand experts and company officials who will seek to rebut testimony that the rig was not seaworthy at the time of the 2010 disaster. Drilling expert Calvin Barnhill is among the witnesses scheduled to be on the stand today. Transocean, a Swiss drilling contractor, also is expected to call its CEO Steven Newman to the stand. That will likely occur on Tuesday. British oil giant BP was leasing the rig from Transocean to drill its Macondo well a mile beneath the sea. The well blew out, causing an explosion on the rig that killed 11 workers. The resulting oil spill was the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. During the first phase of the trial—which is expected to last up to three months—U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans is hearing evidence on the causes of the well blowout and will determine how to allocate fault, which may or may not include percentages of blame. The second phase will address the amount of oil that spilled. At some point during or after the trial, Barbier also is expected to determine if the disaster resulted from gross negligence. The full story can be found here.