‘Fundamental Mistake’ Made Before BP Oil Spill, Lawmakers Say
May 26 (Bloomberg) -- Operators on the rig that exploded over BP Plc’s oil well in the Gulf of Mexico made a “fundamental mistake” by ignoring a “very large abnormality” in a pressure test, according to a congressional memo.
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An investigator for BP told staff of the House Energy & Commerce Committee the operators erred by releasing pressure in a “kill line” while pressure in a drill pipe remained at 1,400 pounds per square inch, according to the memo dated yesterday and signed by Democratic Representatives Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak.
“BP’s investigator indicated that a ‘fundamental mistake’ may have been made here because this was an ‘indicator of a very large abnormality,’” the lawmakers wrote in the summary prepared for members of the panel, which will hold a hearing on the spill tomorrow. Waxman of California is the committee’s chairman, and Stupak of Michigan heads its investigations panel.
Warning Signs Missed
Operators on the rig missed a series of warning signs, including indications that more fluid was flowing out of the well than was being pumped in, according to the memo.
Five hours before the blast, a riser pipe had a loss of fluid, suggesting leaks. Two hours before, a system gained 15 barrels of fluid when 5 were expected, suggesting an “influx from the well,” according to the memo. Later, 41 minutes before the explosion, the pump was shut down and pressure unexpectedly increased.
The operators also had trouble with cement used to hold back gas in the well, and a step in the cementing process had to be repeated nine times, according to the memo. A test performed after cementing was complete “may not have been definitive.” The cement may have been contaminated, making it weaker than it was intended to be, according to the memo.