In a joint hearing held by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Minerals Management Service in Louisiana, Douglas Brown, Transocean’s chief mechanic on the rig, said that key representatives from both companies had a heated argument in an 11 a.m. meeting on that day, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Brown said Transocean’s crew leaders objected to a decision by BP on how to start removing heavy drilling fluid and replace it with lighter sea water from a riser pipe connected to the well head.
I’ve been told the cost of operating Deepwater Horizon was $3 million per day. BP wanted the oil pumping to start covering those costs. Had the April 20 efforts been successful, BP would moved the Deepwater Horizon floating platform off the well and moved the well into full production.
