Alarms Were Disabled on Doomed Oil Rig
A chief engineer has testified to a federal panel investigating the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon that, despite his repeated admonishments, alarms and other safety systems aboard the offshore oil rig had been left disabled or unrepaired in the months leading up to the catastrophic April 20 blast.
A chief engineer has testified to a federal panel investigating the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon that, despite his repeated admonishments, alarms and other safety systems aboard the offshore oil rig had been left disabled or unrepaired in the months leading up to the catastrophic April 20 blast.
During these critical times, your support is crucial...Los Angeles Times:
Critical fire and gas leak alarm systems had been disabled for at least a year aboard the Deepwater Horizon because the rig’s leaders didn’t want to wake up to false alarms, a rig chief engineer tech told federal investigators.
“I discovered it was ‘inhibited’ about a year ago,” said Mike Williams, the chief engineer tech who worked for rig owner Transocean aboard the Deepwater Horizon, which erupted in flames April 20, killing 11 men and starting the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
“I inquired,” Williams told an investigative panel from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Interior Department in suburban New Orleans. “The explanation I got was that from the [offshore installation manager] down, they did not want people to wake up at 3 a.m. due to false alarm,” Williams said. Williams later said the rig’s captain had also agreed that the alarms were to be disabled.
As we navigate an uncertain 2025, with a new administration questioning press freedoms, the risks are clear: our ability to report freely is under threat.
Your tax-deductible donation enables us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes the reality behind the headlines — without compromise.
Now is the time to take action. Stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and uncover the stories that need to be told.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.