A former BP supervisor on board the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig was reportedly found not guilty by a jury in New Orleans of a pollution charge arising from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico well blowout that killed eleven men.
At the time of the incident, on April 20, 2010, Robert M. Kaluza was one of the well site leaders employed in the Gulf of Mexico by a BP subsidiary, a multinational oil and gas company with headquarters in London.
The well site leaders on board the rig were responsible for supervising the implementation of BP’s drilling plan and ensuring that well drilling operations were performed safely in light of the intrinsic danger and complexity of deepwater drilling.
According to Reuters, Kaluza was accused of ignoring the warning signs that resulted in a rupture and explosion of the Macondo well that sent millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
The news agency further reported that Kaluza was found not guilty of a single misdemeanour count of violating the Clean Water act where, if convicted, he could have faced up to a year in prison.
Kaluza initially faced charges of involuntary seaman’s manslaughter and one violation of the Clean Water Act, but the government dismissed the manslaughter charges on account of a review that determined the case did not meet the criteria for gross negligence.
Offshore Energy Today Staff