US contractor in BP oil spill pleads guilty to destroying evidence

26th Jul 2013 10:40

Halliburton, the US contractor that worked for BP on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, has confessed to destroying evidence relating to the explosion in 2010.The US Department of Justice announced late Thursday that the company, which supplied cement for the Macondo oil well, would pay the maximum fine of $200,000 for the offences related to the disaster. The explosion killed 11 workers and caused an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.BP, which initiated the well, has previously pleaded guilty to some offenses related to the incident.Halliburton has agreed to remain under probation for three years and co-operate with the remainder of the investigation if a court accepted its guilty plea. The company has also made a $55m contribution to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Halliburton said in a statement that it had agreed to plead guilty "to one misdemeanour violation associated with the deletion of records created after the Macondo well incident".The government said Halliburton recommended to BP that the Macondo well contain 21 centralisers, metal collars that can improve cementing. However, BP chose to use six.A government investigation into the cementing revealed that Halliburton ordered workers to destroy computer simulations that showed the difference between using six and 21 centralisers.Halliburton and BP have blamed one another for the failure of the cement job to seal the well.The plea agreement is subject to court approval.RD