All but one of BP’s five installations inspected in 2009 in the North Sea were cited for failure to comply with emergency regulations on oil spills, raising questions over the company’s ability to manage a disaster in the area.
Offshore inspection records obtained by the Financial Times under the Freedom of Information Act fault BP for not complying with rules on regular training for offshore operators on responding to disasters.
Inspectors from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the UK government body monitoring compliance with companies’ approved emergency plans, also cited BP for failing to conduct oil spill exercises adequately.