BP was unprepared for oil spill, ex-CEO says

[cal04]

Source: Associated Press

Former BP PLC chief Tony Hayward has acknowledged that the company was unprepared for the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the media frenzy it spawned, and said the firm came close to financial disaster as its credit sources evaporated.

In an interview with the BBC to be broadcast Tuesday, Hayward said company's contingency plans were inadequate and "we were making it up day to day."

"What was going on was some extraordinary engineering," he said in extracts released in advance by the BBC. "But when it was played out in the full glare of the media as it was, of course it looked like fumbling and incompetence."

(snip)
Hayward said BP was "not prepared to deal with the intensity of the media scrutiny" it faced as millions of barrels of oil poured into the ocean and washed up on shore.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_britain_bp

[tavalon]

1. We really need a "Duh" forum

[xchrom]

2. gee, ya think? nt

[Kolesar]

3. Con Ed was "unprepared" for PR after the Three Mile Island reactor melted down

They sent an engineer who was not sufficiently skilled in double talk to speak to the press.

Or as Tavalon put it: Duh

[rasputin1952]

4. This is one of the mindless idiots that earn millions, but can't

figure out something as simple as mass media coverage as millions of gallons of crude pour into the Gulf...Is there a course in these business schools for Common Sense? Did he Major in Mindless Business Arrogance?

I've worked in major corporations, and some CEO's and Administrators are damn good at seeing and avoiding potential problems. Then morons like this come ind paint a picture of pure incompetence,...here's another example of an "educated "businessman,, bush. A complete failure at everything...no brains, no headaches.

[ladywnch]

5. what???? WHAT?!?!?!?!!!

BP was unprepared for an oil spill?????......but..but.....but but but BP is a major, responsible, careful, reliable, concerned......(okay, I'm about to hurl) company. SURELY this can't be true!!!!!! The fact that they couldn't find their asses with both hands and a flashlight through this disaster is merely an aboration...a fluke....a one off.....a TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY PREDICTABLE OUTCOME of letting oil companies regulate themselves.

I'm just floored that Haywood admitted this publicly. But then again, he got his golden parachute, he doesn't care what happens to BP now. He got his last drop of blood money. I got a hundred bucks here that says even with this open admission of lack of preparedness the administration does NOTHING to close up these holes and shore up response plans.

Sorry, but I just don't think they'll do anything to upset big oil...EVER. Even at the height of the disaster the Fed acted like a poor foreign relation standing at the door with hat in hand begging for a hand out from BP instead of taking charge, kicking ass and getting things done.

[kirby]

6. Yet BP and all other Oil Companies CERTIFIED

that they had the technology and know how to contain an even worse case blowout. They certified this in their applications for their licenses!!!