FAILED PREVENTER OVERHAULED IN CHINA

The crucial piece of the rig's safety equipment, the blow-out preventer – the last line of defence against an out-of-control well – subsequently failed to activate and is at the center of investigations into what caused the disaster.

Guardian News is reporting that this device was overhauled by a Chinese contractor in 2005.

It is understood that lawyers for Cameron International, the manufacturer of the BOP, will argue the device was so significantly modified in China that it no longer resembled the original component, and that Cameron should therefore not be held liable. It would be almost impossible to secure damages in China, where international law is barely recognized.

Experts say that the practice of having such engineering work carried out in China, rather than the US, saves money and is common in the industry.

Read the entire article at the source - BP oil spill: failed safety device on Deepwater Horizon rig was modified in China | Environment | The Observer

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