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Engineer testifies on issues aboard BP rig
KENNER, La., The chief engineer aboard the doomed oil rig Deepwater Horizon said Monday there had been some long-running mechanical issues prior to its April sinking.
Stephen Bertone testified at a hearing on the rig disaster in Kenner, La., and said a propeller that helped move the Deepwater Horizon through the water had been giving them problems for about eight months, and the "driller's chair" on the rig had experienced a power loss in the days before the April explosion that sank the rig and unleashed a torrent of crude into the Gulf of Mexico.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune said the testimony may shed some light on why the Deepwater Horizon lost power immediately after the blast and was unable to disconnect from the well pipes on the sea floor.
Bertone, an employee of rig-owner Transocean, said he and his crew were unable to restart the thruster engines, which were scheduled for maintenance early next year.
The newspaper said there was also a clash among lawyers Monday over statements Bertone made to the Coast Guard immediately after the explosion. A Coast Guard report said Bertone told them the rig's master, Capt. Curt Kuchta, had told another engineer to remain calm and not hit the emergency disconnect button, which might have lessened the damage to the well.
KENNER, La., The chief engineer aboard the doomed oil rig Deepwater Horizon said Monday there had been some long-running mechanical issues prior to its April sinking.
Stephen Bertone testified at a hearing on the rig disaster in Kenner, La., and said a propeller that helped move the Deepwater Horizon through the water had been giving them problems for about eight months, and the "driller's chair" on the rig had experienced a power loss in the days before the April explosion that sank the rig and unleashed a torrent of crude into the Gulf of Mexico.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune said the testimony may shed some light on why the Deepwater Horizon lost power immediately after the blast and was unable to disconnect from the well pipes on the sea floor.
Bertone, an employee of rig-owner Transocean, said he and his crew were unable to restart the thruster engines, which were scheduled for maintenance early next year.
The newspaper said there was also a clash among lawyers Monday over statements Bertone made to the Coast Guard immediately after the explosion. A Coast Guard report said Bertone told them the rig's master, Capt. Curt Kuchta, had told another engineer to remain calm and not hit the emergency disconnect button, which might have lessened the damage to the well.