• Wednesday, 16 May, 2012

Contractors in BOEMRE’s sights

Beware BOEMRE: Director Michael Bromwich eyes contractors

AFP/SCANPIX

related stories

By Eoin O'Cinneide & news wires

 25 April 2011 22:44 GMT

A tighter leash could be thrown around rig contractors operating in waters off the US if a regulator gets the green light.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) is looking to be able to bypass Congress in order to bring contractors under more control, Reuters reported on Monday.



The move follows the publication on Friday by the US Coast Guard of volume one of a report into the Macondo blowout disaster in the Gulf of Mexico last April which laid much of the blame at the doorstep of contractors such as Transocean.



"There is no...credible reason why you shouldn't at least have the ability to proceed against contractors, without in any way having that detract from your ability to hold the operator liable," BOEMRE’s director Michael Bromwich told the newswire at a conference.



"You can hold multiple entities liable,” he continued.



While the Bureau checks if it can press ahead in this regard without congressional action, it will not yet be taking any action against contractors involved in the Macondo disaster.



"It is actually looking more like we may not need additional authority and that we may have authority under current law," Bromwich commented.



US player Transocean was the focus of much of the USCG’s attention in Friday’s report into the disaster which also pointed the finger of blame at crew of the ill-fated rig Deepwater Horizon, its flag state Marshall Islands, supermajor BP and even the USCG itself.

User

Become an Upstream member!

Membership includes a subscription to our weekly newspaper providing in-depth news from the energy industry, plus full-access to this site and its archives. Still not convinced? Try our free trial.

Already a member?

Login

Upstream share price index

Recruitment
See all available positions
Events
2
06.05.2012

06

May

06.05.2012 -  20th Middle East Petroleum & Gas Conference (MPGC 2012)

MPGC 2012 will be held from 6-8 May and is returning to Bahrain again, on the occasion of its 20th Anniversary. The conference will be held under the Patronage of His Excellency Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Energy-Chairman of National Oil & Gas Authority, Kingdom of Bahrain and with National Oil & Gas Authority (NOGA) & The Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) as hosts.
The Conference Connection Inc
Read more »
07.05.2012

07

May

07.05.2012 -  20th Middle East Petroleum & Gas Conference (MPGC 2012)

MPGC 2012 will be held from 6-8 May and is returning to Bahrain again, on the occasion of its 20th Anniversary. The conference will be held under the Patronage of His Excellency Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Energy-Chairman of National Oil & Gas Authority, Kingdom of Bahrain and with National Oil & Gas Authority (NOGA) & The Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) as hosts.
The Conference Connection Inc
Read more »
08.05.2012

08

May

08.05.2012 -  20th Middle East Petroleum & Gas Conference (MPGC 2012)

MPGC 2012 will be held from 6-8 May and is returning to Bahrain again, on the occasion of its 20th Anniversary. The conference will be held under the Patronage of His Excellency Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Energy-Chairman of National Oil & Gas Authority, Kingdom of Bahrain and with National Oil & Gas Authority (NOGA) & The Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) as hosts.
The Conference Connection Inc
Read more »