Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig, which exploded in April 2010, killing 11 workers, creating the largest oil spill in U.S. history, laid the blame for the tragedy squarely at the doorstep of BP, the British oil giant that was the rig's operator.
In an internal report released today, Switzerland-based Transocean said BP used a ''faulty'' well design, failed to check the integrity of cement used to seal the well, and decided on a plan to close up the well that ''created unnecessary risk,'' the Washington Post reported.
Transocean (RIG), the world's largest provider of offshore drilling services, did acknowledge that some of its crew members failed to discover signs that hydrocarbons had broken through the Macondo well's cement and steel barriers, but the company contends that poor information given to the crew by BP hid signs of looming disaster.
For its part, BP (BP), Europe's second-largest oil company, fired back, calling the Transocean report an ''advocacy piece,'' the Post reported. BP claims Transocean is merely highlighting the most favorable facts surrounding the spill in order to bolster its legal strategy.
BP added that Transocean ''continues to take every opportunity to avoid its responsibilities,'' the Post reported.
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