BP Blowout preventer arrested

Arrested isn't perhaps the right word , but the 350-tonne 50 foot high blowout preventer has been raised and siezed by the US authorities in the ongoing search to apportion blame for the oil disaster.

Given that it is the key component in determining who gets to pay up, I can understand why they have done it.

Of course, it could be interesting if it is found that the fault was not caused by BP, but by Transocean or Haliburton, after the object is examined.

Expect heavy lawsuits regardless of what the results are.

More on the story here

Well, one thing that may not be clear to UK readers is that in the US, even if Transocean or Haliburton is 90% at fault, the US tort system, AIUI, allows for 'going after the deep pockets.' That is that civil judgments often get applied mostly, or even solely, to the more solvent defendant, no matter their share of the responsibility for what happened.

I suspect that the only way that this could have a good outcome for BP, or any of the other companies involved, is if the blowout preventer shows signs of failure due to an unprecedented pressure spike. And even there, juries in the US system can be pretty insane in how they punish companies.

Well BP is certainly spreading the blame amongst all three companies in their report into what happened.

All three companies are completely solvent and have deep pockets. If a bad judgement does come down solely on BP despite the blame lying elsewhere, I wonder if they will counter sue in a different country?