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July 29, 2010

Coast Guard’s Role in Fighting BP Oil Rig Fire Scrutinized
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In news on the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Center for Public
Integrity is reporting the Coast Guard has gathered evidence it failed
to follow its own firefighting policy during the Deepwater Horizon
disaster and is investigating whether its actions contributed to the
sinking of the rig. Officials now admit the Coast Guard lacks the
expertise to fight a fire aboard an oil rig and that the Coast Guard did
not even have ships in the area equipped to combat the blaze after the
BP-operated rig exploded. Investigators are specifically examining
whether the saltwater that was sprayed across the burning platform
overran the ballast system that kept the rig upright, changing its
weight distribution and causing it to collapse into the Gulf of Mexico
two days after the initial explosion. The investigation could prove
vital to ongoing legal proceedings. The riser pipe from which the
majority of BP’s oil spewed did not start leaking until after the rig
sank.