Williams also said the Deepwater Horizon was to be sent to a shipyard for extensive repairs. He said he was told the rig would be there for an extended time because "it was in very bad shape."
How 'convenient' for the thing to blow up rather than be repaired.
Rig worker: Alarm system partly disabled
July 23, 2010 12:22:00 PM
ALAN SAYRE, Associated Press Writer
KENNER, La. — An electronics technician aboard the ill-fated oil rig Deepwater Horizon told an investigative panel Friday that an alarm system was partially shut down on the day the rig exploded.
Mike Williams, who worked for rig owner Transocean Ltd., said a three-way alarm system to warn of fire, explosive gas and toxic gas was turned on to monitor conditions, but its sound and light alarms had been disabled.
He testified he knew the alarm settings from a computer monitor into which it fed. He said in 2009 he asked about the settings and was told the company "didn't want people looking up at 3 a.m. to a false alarm."
Williams said that if the system had been fully operational, an alarm likely would have sounded before the explosion, which happened late on the night of April 20.
Williams testified he had no warning of the blast before it occurred.
The rig's drilling room also had chronic computer problems, including one computer that carried the nickname "the blue screen of death," he said
Williams said the computer had a 1990s operating system and was subject to periodic failure.
Williams also said the Deepwater Horizon was to be sent to a shipyard for extensive repairs. He said he was told the rig would be there for an extended time because "it was in very bad shape."
The Deepwater Horizon was working in the Gulf of Mexico about 40 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River when it exploded and burned.
The rig sank two days later. Since then, millions of gallons of oil have poured into the Gulf.
The Coast Guard and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement will conclude a week of hearings on Friday, then resume Aug. 23-27 in Houston.
source: http://www.newsherald.com/news/system-85600-alarm-worker.html
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Rig alarm system partly disabled at time of blast
source: http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story/Rig-alarm-system-partly-disabled-at-time-of-blast/DtE8e0iFcUG27Do6ecjU5Q.cspx
 KENNER, La. (AP) - An electronics technician aboard the ill-fated oil rig Deepwater Horizon told an investigative panel Friday that an alarm system was partially shut down on the day the rig exploded. Mike Williams said the system was turned on to monitor for fire, explosive gas and toxic gas but that its sound and light alarms had been disabled. Williams worked for rig owner Transocean Ltd. The rig was leased by BP PLC. Williams testified that he had asked before about the settings and was told the company didn't want a false alarm waking people at night. Williams said that if the system had been fully active, an alarm likely would have sounded before the explosion, which happened on the night of April 20. Since then, millions of gallons of oil have poured into the Gulf. |
COMMENTS
1. Isn't there anyone out there who can investigate this and see it for what it is? Doesn't anyone wonder why when the coal mines in Virginia collapsed or any other disaster in the US has occurred there is extensive media coverage. However, in this case, not one photo or mention of the actual crew or rig. Just coverage on the oil in the gulf. Now they are saying that the alarm system was partially disabled. I think that the government is covering up a terrorist attack. That is why the alarms were disabled, that is why there aren't any pictures up of the crew or any further coverage on the crew or the rig. Since when do we not have safety measures in place and the the safety valve shut offs disabled as well? Wake up, we are being lied to and this is being covered up. I think BP is just taking the fall because they cannot stand up to the United States.
2. This sounds like a cover-up. Sixty Minutes had a widow of that blast saying that her husband was sure safety procedures were being ignored (to increase profitability). On his last trip home he got his Will and other papers in order for his family. That was the last time he saw them.
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