This is really a sad story that has been going on for over a month down here in Louisiana. Most of the local fisherman's lives have been completely wrecked. British Petroleum (BP) is really doing a horrible job at trying to contain this oil spill and doesnt really care at all about the people that this HUGE disaster is affecting. 11 workers died in the explosion. Here are some links and pics.

Wikipedia page on the oil spill
Pictures of our wildlife , warning these are really gut wrenching




Here is a pic of the rig that exploded. And some other photos.

Apparently this happened because BP used cheap components to save money. If this is indeed the truth then I hope they get the book thrown at them.

feel bad for the fishermen and their families. These guys did nothing wrong and their jobs are gone. This story sux for everyone.

I heard that BP was going to pay the fishermen who were out of work because of this. Who knows if it's true, but it would make sense that they would do it to cover their butts.

I feel bad for all the fish and animals who died and will die.

I feel for all the people invovled. The locals and the wildlife.

i've seen the oil in our marsh 1st hand.

this will have a negative impact on this area for a very long time.

I do a LOT of recreational fishing, and have always loved being out on the water.
That lifestyle has been put on hold indefinitely now.

I also work in the oilfield.
Due to the moratorium on deepwater drilling that this caused, and the rumored ban on ALL offshore drilling that is still to come, I have very little job security now.

And in this part of the state, everything revolves around either oil or fishing.
Both of which may be non-existent in the not too distant future.

Really sorry to hear that.

If BP used 'CHEAP' parts to save money then the guys that signed the contracts for them should be hung up by there short and curlies.

The US government should look into this and if evidence is found that it is true then they should take these big business men all the way to a 'PERSONAL' law suit for damages AND a long jail term. That way if *sshol*s like these come along in future it might make them sit up and think before they sign a contract.

My 10 cents worth..

JamieM wrote:


well, the part that failed (blow out preventer) is not cheap.
the company that manufactured it is one of the best in the business.

and rarely do they fail completely like this one did.
blowouts happen, but they are almost never deadly, and never catastrophic on this level.

so the questions that need asking are:
"why did it fail?"
"were there warning signs that were ignored?"

Rumors are that the part had been modified, and was leaking.
If that's true in any way, we're talking gross negligence that cost 11 men their lives. And considering the weather and time of night this happened, losing "only" 11 was somewhat of a miracle.

I love the way everybody around the globe has gone on a hate campaign for BP...since the whole world revolves around oil and without it mankind is doomed...surely there are going to be accidents when you drill holes in a pressurised outer crust of a planet LOL

We use oil for everything and should be prepared to deal with the consequences of when the s*** hits the fan.

As for the cheap parts or negligence idea i think this is a load of bol***s. The amount of effort put into safely managing these rigs is unbelievable for the simple fact there is so much money hear...those rigs are sat on liquid gold.
Also the amount of health and safety regulations these days working with flammable substances etc etc its mind blowing.

just my opinion remember ...

added..iv done a little research on the web and it seems the rig was rented to another organization and BP had no control over the well itself.

sorry if i do seem a little blunt on this one guys its just got me a little miffed that president obama has totaly slated BP and told them they have to foot the entire cleanup/compensation bill.

Accidents are going to happen but it is the way that BP is handling the situation. They werent allowing experts outside of their company anywhere near the area, who were only there to try and help the situation.
The CEO is a big piece of crap also. He was on the news recently and was quoted saying," I wish this would all be over so I can get back to my normal life." Are you kidding me???

Staffie, go read the wiki page.

I have read all of this and seen the interview on TV and yeah ill agree he is a total moron. I just think obama needs to recognize that the us government have alot more money than the UK..and after all the disaster has happened on his own turf its hard to explain but I am disabled with two young children after a very bad bike accident breaking both my arms and wrists in several places now resulting in alot of wrist problems etc etc. money is really tight right now for me and my family and if BP pay ultimately the British public will pay through taxes. sorry guys this is probably very boring for you. I just had no other way of venting my frustration about it.