Deepwater rig owner admits 'exemplary' safety boast was 'insensitive'

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

The rig blowout killed 11 workers and caused a huge oil spill.

In a filing with U.S. financial regulators on Friday, Transocean had said it achieved an "exemplary" safety record last year as measured by its total recordable incident rate and total potential severity rate.

The announcement created outrage around the world over the weekend, despite Transocean's claim that the Deepwater Horizon disaster was all BP's fault.

Last night, Ihab Toma, Transocean's executive vice president of global business, admitted some wording in that statement "may have been insensitive" given the Deepwater Horizon accident.

"Nothing in the proxy [statement] was intended to minimize this tragedy or diminish the impact it has had on those who lost loved ones. Everyone at Transocean continues to mourn the loss of these friends and colleagues." Toma said in a statement.

Earlier on Monday, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar had disputed Transocean's claim that its safety record last year justified executives' safety bonuses. He told reporters on a conference call that Transocean was "at some fault" for causing millions of barrels of crude oil to leak from the underwater well.

On Friday, the head of the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management had chastised Transocean Chief Executive Steven Newman for not doing more to encourage two employees to attend a hearing this week for the government's probe of the oil spill.

The hearing is examining why the rig's blowout preventer failed to stop what eventually became the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Newman, who became CEO of the rig contractor less than two months before the April 20 blow-out, received $6.4 million in 2010, including $850,000 in base pay and a $5.4 million long-term incentive award, according to the filing on Friday.