Two Fieldwood Energy LLC oil workers face criminal charges for allegedly separately allowing crude oil spills from offshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico platforms to avoid required shut downs.
The two were indicted for spills in 2015 and 2018, according to complaints by the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana. According to Reuters, workers in one platform joked that their motto was “safe and sound until production’s down”.
As for Fieldwood, it said that its top priority is to operate its facilities in a safe manner that protects workers and the environment.
In addition, Fieldwood area foreman of Louisiana was charged with negligent discharge and bypassing monitoring and safety systems to keep oil flowing at one of the company’s most prosperous platforms, according to the indictment.
In addition, the actions of the workers released a “harmful quantity of oil and other hazardous substances.”
What is more, a person-in-charge of other Fieldwood platforms, faces eight charges including knowingly releasing oil, misrepresenting to regulators and making false entries to inspection logs.
The company’s Main Pass 310A platform operated for four days in mid-2015 after operators first noticed the spill and alerted Huse, according to the indictment said. A harmful quantity of oil was released.
Both men face jail time and fines if convicted.
