BP claims contractor destroyed evidence

In a New Orleans federal court, BP accused contractor Halliburton yesterday of having intentionally destroyed evidence about possible problems with its cement slurry poured into the deep-sea well at Macondo, about 100 miles off the Louisiana coast.

An oil well must be cemented properly to avoid blowouts.

According to court documents, BP also accused Halliburton of failing to produce incriminating computer modelling evidence. Halliburton says the modelling is gone but denies deliberately destroying possible evidence.

BP has asked a judge to penalise Halliburton and order a court-sponsored computer forensic team to recover the missing modelling results.

The claims in the 310-page motion ratcheted up the showdown among BP and contractors Halliburton and Transocean.

The three companies have been sparring over blame for the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon blast, which led to the release of 206 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. So far, BP, the majority owner of the well, has footed the bill for the emergency response and clean-up.

Also involved are Anadarko Petroleum and Cameron International Corporation.

The first trial over the Deepwater Horizon disaster is due to start on February 27 in New Orleans.

The first leg is expected to take three months and determine the liability of each company involved in drilling the deep-sea well.

There will be other phases over clean-up costs, punitive damages and other claims.

Government and independent investigations of the disaster have found fault in Halliburton’s cement job because it failed to properly plug the well.