Minority Partner on Gulf Oil Rig Accuses BP of Recklessness

(June 19) -- Anadarko Petroleum, a minority partner in the oil well fouling the Gulf of Mexico, attacked BP's behavior as "reckless" and said the multinational may be guilty of "gross negligence."

"The mounting evidence clearly demonstrates that this tragedy was preventable and the direct result of BP's reckless decisions and actions," Anadarko chief executive Jim Hackett said in a statement on the company's website. "Frankly, we are shocked."

Anadarko owns 25 percent of the oil well that has been spewing out thousands of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf for the last two months and has fouled shorelines in Louisiana, Florida and Alabama.

Anadarko's contract with the oil giant states that Anadarko is responsible for paying its share of any damages caused by the oil well, unless it is found that BP showed gross negligence, the statement said.


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"BP's behavior and actions likely represent gross negligence or willful misconduct and thus affect the obligations of the parties under the operating agreement," Hackett said.

Well operators are responsible for day-to-day operations and "appropriate decisions" on the well, Anadarko said. In other words, a minority holder like Anadarko is not involved in the well's operation.

Congressional investigations have focused on BP's planning and safety procedures related to the well. Many of the oil giant's decisions saved the company money, but may also have contributed to the explosion on April 20, which killed 11 people and left an oil pipeline ruptured.

Oil giants including Exxon-Mobil, Chevron and Shell all criticized BP's methods in drilling the well, though investigating lawmakers noted they all had "cookie cutter" plans on how to respond to oil spills.

In testimony to a congressional panel, BP's CEO Tony Hayward denied any knowledge of how the well had been drilled and refused to comment on possible causes of the disaster.

In a statement Friday, BP hit back at Anadarko. The company disputed Anadarko's allegations and re-affirmed its commitment to the Gulf.

"Other parties besides BP may be responsible for costs and liabilities arising from the oil spill," Hayward said in the statement. "We expect those parties to live up to their obligations.

Earlier this week, BP agreed to a White House proposal to set up a $20 billion escrow fund to pay for damages from the oil spill. BP has repeatedly said that it will meet "all legitimate claims."

Estimates vary about how much oil has leaked into the Gulf of Mexico, and how long the oil spill will continue. Philip Johnson, a professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Alabama, told the Guardian that the spill could last "two years and certainly longer than that."

Yesterday, BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg insisted that the company would survive the disaster, despite liabilities, a tumbling stock price and credit-rating downgrades.

"I still strongly believe in BP and that we will come through this," Svanberg told Sky News.