In BP’s magazine last year a senior company executive bragged that the company was focussed on “operational excellence” and “silent running”. “Silent Running” was a new concept within the global oil giant. The final years of Lord Browne’s reign were plagued by the Texas fire in 2005 when 15 people died and by a notorious … Read More
Safety
Lord Browne Reveals All
So the most iconic oilman of his generation, Lord Browne, has finally published his memoirs of his time at BP in a book called “beyond business”. Whilst most of the reviews so far concentrate on him being gay and his fall from grace, we also get glimpses of the power of oil and what it … Read More
Oz: Rig Still Polluting After 3 Weeks
What were you doing three weeks ago? Nothing personal, but can you remember what you were doing on the 21st August? Hold that date in your head. Ever since the 21st August oil, has been leaking from the offshore Montara oil platform in the Timor Sea off Western Australia. After a blow-out occurred the rig … Read More
UK Fire: Total “To Admit to Negligence”
One of the world’s largest oil companies will admit in court today that Britain’s biggest peacetime explosion was the result of negligence, according to the Times newspaper. In a statement to the newspaper, Total UK confirmed that it had advised claimants against it and Hertfordshire Oil Storage Limited (HOSL), a joint venture with Chevron, that … Read More
Court Rules BP Blast Victims Rights’ Have Been Violated
A US federal appeals court has ruled that the rights of victims in BP’s fatal Texas City explosion in March 2005 were violated by US prosecutors who reached a secret plea agreement with the UK oil group late last year before consulting victims. The victims insist the plea deal is too lenient and they should … Read More
Another US Refinery Blows Up
A huge explosion rocked a Texan oil refinery yesterday in a violent blast that shook buildings miles away and injured at least four people. One employee was hospitalized for burns, while three contractors were treated and released, said Blake Lewis, a spokesman for refinery owner Alon USA.
BP’s Browne Could Escape Court Grilling
The former chief executive of British oil giant BP, Lord Browne, can avoid extensive face-to-face grilling from plaintiffs’ lawyers about the deadly March 2005 explosion at the company’s Texas City refinery, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled. While the ruling directed a judge to enforce an agreement allowing for John Browne to give a one-hour … Read More
LNG Tankers Vulnerable to Terror Attack
A report by US watch-dog, the Government Accountability Office has concluded that the Coast Guard lacks the resources to adequately protect tankers carrying liquefied petroleum or crude oil from a possible terrorist attack. The report concluded that the Coast Guard is stretched too thin in some cases “to meet its own self-imposed security standards such … Read More
90 Airlifted After Fire on North Sea Platform
Last week we blogged how over half the rigs in the North Sea failed safety checks. As if to highlight the problem, a major evacuation operation was launched yesterday after a fire broke out on a remote North Sea oil platform. Ninety of the 159 people on board the Thistle Alpha platform, 120 miles north-west … Read More
North Sea: Over Half Rigs Fail Safety Checks
The safety regime at Britain’s North Sea oil operators has been condemned after a report found almost 60% of oil platforms had problems that oil companies should have addressed. The report, by the Health and Safety Executive, argues the industry had lost the trust of the regulator as a result of the failings uncovered by … Read More