HOUSTON — Is it a good idea to have an oil-rig captain who has no say in decisions that could jeopardize crew safety? That’s a key question a federal investigator had for Transocean, owner and operator of the Deepwater Horizon, at a federal hearing Tuesday.
Investigator Hung Nguyen, a U.S. Coast Guard captain, illustrated how no one person seemed to be in charge and aware of all risks on the rig, which exploded April 20. BP was a decision-maker on the oil-well design, which experts have said was flawed and dangerous, while Transocean was in charge of running the floating rig.
Investigators questioned many of the captain’s actions and qualifications. Testimony has shown that the captain, Curt Kuchta, was kept out of the loop on key decisions. Los Angeles Times
