It would appear the finger is being pointed to Halliburton being responsible for the oil rig blast

[Lone_Star_Dem]

In an article by the WSJ no less.

Drilling Process Attracts Scrutiny in Rig Explosion

An oil-drilling procedure called cementing is coming under scrutiny as a possible cause of the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico that has led to one of the biggest oil spills in U.S. history, drilling experts said Thursday.

<snip>

Regulators have previously identified problems in the cementing process as a leading cause of well blowouts, in which oil and natural gas surge out of a well with explosive force. When cement develops cracks or doesn't set properly, oil and gas can escape, ultimately flowing out of control. The gas is highly combustible and prone to ignite, as it appears to have done aboard the Deepwater Horizon, which was leased by BP PLC, the British oil giant.

The scrutiny on cementing will focus attention on Halliburton Co., the oilfield-services firm that was handling the cementing process on the rig, which burned and sank last week. The disaster, which killed 11, has left a gusher of oil streaming into the Gulf from a mile under the surface.

<snip>

According to Transocean Ltd., the operator of the drilling rig, Halliburton had finished cementing the 18,000-foot well shortly before the explosion. Houston-based Halliburton is the largest company in the global cementing business, which accounted for $1.66 billion, or about 11%, of the company's revenue in 2009, according to consultant Spears & Associates.

<snip>

The timing of the cementing in relation to the blast—and the procedure's history of causing problems—point to it as a possible culprit in the Deepwater Horizon disaster, experts said.

"The initial likely cause of gas coming to the surface had something to do with the cement," said Robert MacKenzie, managing director of energy and natural resources at FBR Capital Markets and a former cementing engineer in the oil industry.

Several other drilling experts agreed, though they cautioned that the investigation into what went wrong at the Deepwater Horizon site is still in its preliminary stages.

Read more here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703572504575214593564769072.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLETopStories

Perhaps when we're talking about the kind of money this disaster is about to cost even Halliburton may not be able to escape without accepting their share of the blame.

[Arctic Dave]

1. BP is throwing Halliburton under the bus.

It still doesn't explain why the BOP failed.

Seems strange that they haven't finished an investigation and they know what happened. Plus, why is BP employing a technique that is faulty if that is the case.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

2. BP and Transocean are both throwing Halliburton under the bus

Cameron International Corp gets tossed too in the article for providing the faulty BOP.

What I'm wondering is why BP would have hired someone to do their cementing who has recently failed to preform the process correctly?

[Arctic Dave]

5. Halliburton probably did a thousand cement jobs this month alone.

It should be asked if there is a new process involved with these deep sea wells.

Could have been a flaw in the annulus, the cement product, the lab that tested the cement first, could have had a blown plug. The possibilities are endless.

The back and forth law suits are going to be epic on this screw up. When Exxon shit the bed they couldn't blame anyone else, this on the other hand is going to make some laywers millionaires.

[daleo]

3. Isn't Halliburton Cheney's company? n/t

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. That's the one

The same Halliburton who enjoyed privileged war contracts under the Bush/Cheney admin. They then moved their main base of operations out of the US to avoid paying income taxes on their earnings from their US government contracts.

[TransitJohn]

6. It wasn't the cement job.

I can say that with 99% certainty. And it doesn't matter if Halliburton, Schlumberger, BJ Services or Weatherford did the cement and squeeze job. The fault lies with whoever on the rig floor with the well control ticket (toolpusher, driller, company man, OIM, hell there were multiple people) didn't shut in the well when they took the kick. Rumor is that someone with BP said to not shut it in until they made a phone call to corporate.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. OI don't understand quite what you are saing.

"shut the well when they took the "kick".
what does that mean?

and
why did they have make a phone call to corporate?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

9. I'll attempt to translate

"shut the well when they took the kick" = closing of the blow-out preventer valve when the fluids began to rise before they had a full blowout.

As for the phone call to corporate needing to be made first, your guess is as good as mine. I've never heard of the like, there's no time for such foolishness.

[lpbk2713]

8. Halliburton -- the electrified shower people.

Why am I not surprised?

[Sal Minella]

10. The people who built new buildings in Iraq

that featured raw sewage running down the walls.

THOSE people.

[tsuki]

11. My first thought. nt

[tsuki]

12. This article is from the Miami Herald. This is not Haliburton's first

problem with "cementing".

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/30/1606988/cement-job-at-underwater-well.html

"If "cementing" is the cause, it could spell new troubles for Halliburton, whose work was also suspected in a well explosion that took place last August in the Timor Sea near Australia. It took 71 days to fully cap and contain that spill, according to Australia's Sunday Times. The official investigation is still ongoing, but cementing was the main area of investigation, the head of the inquiry has said."