The Center for Public Integrity

A panel of National Academy of Engineering scientists is examining technical issues behind the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, including chaotic firefighting attempts preceding the collapse of the offshore drilling rig that were spotlighted in a Center for Public Integrity investigative story last month.

The Coast Guard has gathered evidence it failed to follow its own firefighting policy during the Deepwater Horizon disaster and is investigating whether the chaotic spraying of tons of salt water by private boats contributed to sinking the ill-fated oil rig, according to interviews and documents.

In the wee-morning hours after the Deepwater Horizon exploded, a Coast Guard rescue helicopter being dispatched to pluck oil rig survivors floating in the fire-engulfed waters could not launch because its hoist was broken.

Coast Guard officials grasped the potential threat of a catastrophic spill within hours of the explosion on board the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, estimating that 8,000 barrels a day of crude oil could possibly gush out of the well in the event of a complete blowout, according to Coast Guard logs.

Over the last eight years, the U.S. government has conducted four major drills to prepare for a massive oil spill, the results of which foreshadowed many of the weaknesses in coordination, communication, expertise, and technology that have plagued the federal response to the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

The worsening BP p.l.c. oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a good reason to revoke the oil giant’s court-ordered probation and plea agreement for a deadly Texas refinery explosion five years ago, lawyers for the refinery victims' families told a federal judge.