Oil spill contingency plans were inadequate, admits Hayward

BP's former boss today admitted the group's oil spill contingency plans were "inadequate" and said it was unprepared for the media "feeding frenzy" after the Gulf of Mexico disaster.

BP's former boss today admitted the group's oil spill contingency plans were "inadequate" and said it was unprepared for the media "feeding frenzy" after the Gulf of Mexico disaster.

Tony Hayward, who stepped down as chief executive of BP at the end of September, told BBC's 'Money Programme' the group was completely "overrun" by the "intensity of the media scrutiny" focused on the firm and its actions to plug the devastating oil leak.

But he defended his actions against a barrage of political and public criticism following a series of PR gaffes.

He said he was right to go sailing in a yacht race with his son at the height of the crisis - for which he received a media mauling - saying "I'm not certain I'd do anything different".

"I have to confess, at the time I was pretty angry actually," he said.

"I hadn't seen my son for three months. I was on the boat for six hours between the hours of midnight and six o'clock in the morning US time... The only way I could see my son was to be with him on a boat race he was on."

Mr Hayward added on his performance in the public eye: "If I had a degree at RADA rather than a degree in geology I may have done better. I'm not certain it would have changed the outcome, but certainly the perception of myself may have been different."

Mr Hayward was replaced by Bob Dudley as chief executive after relinquishing the top job in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig blast and subsequent spill.

The explosion on April 20 killed 11 workers and caused an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil to gush into the Gulf - the largest offshore spill in history.

BP permanently plugged the well in September, although it had stopped oil flowing from the leaking well since mid-July.

The group came under major pressure in the US, with President Barack Obama levelling criticism personally at Mr Hayward.

Mr Obama was openly critical of BP's handling of the disaster and suggested that Mr Hayward would have been sacked if he worked for him.

"You know it's very difficult to hate a company, it's much easier to hate an individual," said Mr Hayward.

BP's shares have been decimated since the spill and the group has forked out $11.2bn (€8bn) so far in clean-up efforts, while also creating a $20bn (€14.3bn) compensation fund.

But the group revealed last week it had recovered from losses in the second quarter to report a $1.85bn (€1.32bn) profit in the third quarter.

New head Mr Dudley told a conference last month the group was financially sound and committed to rebuilding trust lost from the spill, although he said the disaster "threatened the very existence" of BP.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

FILE PHOTO The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has cleared the purchase of Goodbody Stockbrokers by AIB END Goodbody Stockbrokers fined over €1.2m by Central Bank over rules breaches
Nottingham City Centre Stock Irish staff at the Body Shop wait for wages as retailer shuts stores in the Republic
Ryanair comments on Norwegian Ryanair boss O'Leary's spat with Transport Minister over Dublin Airport escalates
IE logo
Devices


UNLIMITED ACCESS TO THE IRISH EXAMINER FOR TEAMS AND ORGANISATIONS
FIND OUT MORE

The Business Hub
Newsletter

News and analysis on business, money and jobs from Munster and beyond by our expert team of business writers.

Sign up
ie logo
Puzzles Logo

Play digital puzzles like crosswords, sudoku and a variety of word games including the popular Word Wheel

Lunchtime News
Newsletter

Keep up with the stories of the day with our lunchtime news wrap.

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited