The Aug. 25 story “Fatal oil rig blast in Gulf of Mexico caused by poorly trained Filipinos” misstates the findings of a third-party report on this tragic accident and does a profound disservice to the workers who lost their lives or were injured in the 2012 incident.
As someone with more than 30 years of experience in this industry, I can say without qualification that Filipino offshore oil workers have an outstanding reputation for competency, dedication and professionalism.
The report compiled by outside investigator ABSG Consulting, a global leader in safety and risk management, found that the contractor and subcontractor, which employed the Filipino workers, failed to adequately follow safe work practices for performing welding and failed to stop work when unsafe conditions existed. An apparent serious issue in the incident was the failure of the construction contractor, Grand Isle Shipyard, to provide proper safety training and appropriate supervision. The full report is available at https://www.blackelkenergy.com/images/documents/Investigation-of-WD-32-Platform-Explosions-on-11-16-12.pdf
Over the past eight months, Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations has cooperated with government officials investigating the causes of the incident. Black Elk Energy has also implemented policy and procedural improvements to minimize the risk of similar incidents in the future.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the victims and their families.
—JOHN HOFFMAN,
president and CEO,
Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations,
Houston, Texas, USA