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Capitalism; laugh or cry? YOU BE THE JUDGE!

"A simple Google search of “oil spill” turns up several thousand news results, but the first link, highlighted at the very top of the page, is from BP. “Learn more about how BP is helping,” the link’s tagline reads.

A spokesman for the company confirmed to ABC News that it had, in fact, bought these search terms to make information on the spill more accessible to the public.

“We have bought search terms on search engines like Google to make it easier for people to find out more about our efforts in the Gulf and make it easier for people to find key links to information on filing claims, reporting oil on the beach and signing up to volunteer,” BP spokesman Toby Odone told ABC News."

BP

We're going to claim this as LatAm related, thanks to the word "Mexico" in the "Gulf of...." place that's suffering. I've been exchanging mails with an old friend of mine (we go waaaaaaaaay back) this morning who happens to be an environmental activist and (if memory serves) a member of Greenpeace. His question to me was;

"Do you think BP's CEO (Tony Haywood) will resign?"

My answer was;

"Yep, bet the house on it."

He then asked;

"Why?"

I said;

"Check the share price."

Because in the way of the capitalist, things like the worst oil spill of all time, the enviro disaster, the brickbats thrown by treehuggers, the accusations of media cover-ups....all those things can be ignored and successfully ridden by a multinational company CEO. But a sharp fall in the PPS and you're toast.

It's not good. It's not bad. It's the way it is. Chau, Tony.

The real, eyewitness effects of an oil spill

Further to yesterday's post on the BP Deepwater Horizon post and the cover-up in process, a link was sent to me by somebody with close ties to the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The place to go is the link that's covered by the following blurb:

Reliving the tragedy of the Exxon Valdez
For those living on Kodiak Island, Alaska, watching the news these days brings back nightmares of 21 years ago, when the massive Exxon Valdez oil tanker hit rock, spilling millions of gallons of crude oil into the sea. Fisherman Dave Kubiak joins us from Kodiak Island to talk about how the Exxon Valdez spill affected his life and his community.

You then click through and listen to 9 minutes and thirty seconds of real experience in these things. It's genuine, simple and moving to listen to an honest man who went through the experience of the oil and the subsequent company-led excuses and lies....another example of plus ça change. Mustlisten material and thanks due to A. Reader for sending it in. Here's the link again, to make sure you go listen.

BP Deepwater Horizon: Important

A post at The Oil Drum and linked here is, quite literally, explosive stuff. As the poster notes;

"Anyone that is still a BP apologist after these damning pieces of evidence have been brought forth is not worthy to hold a job in this industry & should seek employment at a bologna sandwich factory, because you have deceived yourself beyond the point of being helped. BP executives, engineers, drilling supervisors on site & in their chain of command that had any thing to do with anyone of these actions should be brought up on charges of negligent homicide & multiple counts of negligent destruction to private, state, & federal property & have to answer for these indefensible decisions."

The people at The Oil Drum aren't a bunch of mouthy knownothings; au contraire, the posters and commenters there are well-known in the industry as highly experienced and knowledgeable professionals, as witnessed by the story broke by Reuters this morning that used the information in the post and string to start its investigation. You need to read this.

UPDATE: Why is this story enormous? Check out this link that runs on from the original above. It seems that Schlumberger (SLB) were acutely aware of the clear and present dangers at Deepwater Horizon, told BP all about it and BP ignored the advice given to them by the world's top oil services company. Here's an extensive excerpt from the post that explains what happens when SLB people went to visit the rig, literally hours before the explosion:

"BP contracted Schlumberger (SLB) to run the Cement Bond Log (CBL) test that was the final test on the plug that was skipped. The people testifying have been very coy about mentioning this, and you’ll see why.

SLB is an extremely highly regarded (and incredibly expensive) service company. They place a high standard on safety and train their workers to shut down unsafe operations.

SLB gets out to the Deepwater Horizon to run the CBL, and they find the well still kicking heavily, which it should not be that late in the operation. SLB orders the “company man” (BP’s man on the scene that runs the operation) to dump kill fluid down the well and shut-in the well. The company man refuses. SLB in the very next sentence asks for a helo to take all SLB personel back to shore. The company man says there are no more helo’s scheduled for the rest of the week (translation: you’re here to do a job, now do it). SLB gets on the horn to shore, calls SLB’s corporate HQ, and gets a helo flown out there at SLB’s expense and takes all SLB personel to shore.

6 hours later, the platform explodes."

Reuters has now picked up on this story and run with it too, bringing real journalistic gravitas to the breaking news here. Here's a part of the Reuters note:

Schlumberger says its crew left Horizon day of fire

Wed May 19, 2010 8:56pm EDT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 19 (Reuters) - Schlumberger Ltd (SLB.N), the world's largest oilfield services company, said on Wednesday it had a crew on the Deepwater Horizon that departed only hours before the explosion and fire that engulfed the rig.

The company, which had not previously revealed its work on the Horizon, said in an emailed statement that continues here

Alan von Altendorf on BP Deepwater Horizon

One of the very few independent voices on oil worth listening to has posted a very interesting article up on SinkingAlpha concerning the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout. Alan von Altendorf is an IKN friend and I know for a fact that he's cool about me posting the whole of his text up here, so that's exactly what we're doing. However, you'll surely want to keep an eye on the comments section under his SA post cos this guy really knows his bananas. Enjoy.

An Open Letter To Congress

by Alan von Altendorf

These are the documents to subpeona from BP:

1. E-Drill computer logs that document every detailed aspect of what was done by the Deepwater Horizon drilling operation before and during the blow-out. These computer logs exist at BP's office in Houston.

2. All internal emails to and from BP's Houston office and BP company men on the Deepwater Horizon throughout the period when circulation was lost, measures to add Lost Circulation Material while drilling, indicating whether a sidetrack was drilled, the decision to Plug & Abandon, orders to M-I Swaco, orders to Halliburton, orders to PSV Damon Bankston, and drilling orders for testing prior to displacement of the marine riser with seawater.

3. All internal emails and summaries of telephone conversations between BP's Houston office and their headquarters in London pertaining to rushing completion of the Macondo well to move the rig to another location.

4. Documents and sworn statements establishing the Subsea Total Vertical Depth SSTVD of the Macondo well, including well logs that show whether lost circulation occurred at the top of the gas reservoir and/or whether the well penetrated and logged the entire oil reservoir interval.

5. A comprehensive statement of who decided to Plug & Abandon the well and why the Transocean crew was rushed into omitting vital measurements and tests to ensure that the well was dead before displacing to seawater.

6. An accurate and comprehensive diagram of the Macondo well installation, from wellhead to TD, showing each section of casing and liner installed and cemented, with an accompanying narrative statement describing the entire sequence of drilling, materials, and completion.

Disclosure: No position in BP at time of writing