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Gulf oil spill: Under-staffing may have led to maintenance problems on Deepwater Horizon

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Federal investigators at a hearing outside New Orleans on Monday suggested that under-staffing on the Deepwater Horizon contributed to maintenance problems aboard the oil rig that blew up on April 20.

Jason Mathews with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, an arm of the U.S. Department of Interior, repeatedly asked the oil rig’s chief engineer, Stephen Bertone, whether high turnover among the crew contributed to having too few employees to complete needed maintenance work.
Bertone said he did not know, sparking incredulity from panelists that a chief engineer would not know the answer.

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Some panelists and lawyers appeared frustrated that Bertone often answered that he didn’t know or couldn’t recall, after talking with his attorney.

“As part of the fact-gathering, we are evaluating your knowledge, skill and performance,” U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Hung Nguyen told Bertone. “When ... you indicate that you don’t know or don’t recall, that brings into question your performance and your knowledge and skills.”

Edward Kohnke, a lawyer for Transocean Ltd., the rig’s owner and Bertone’s employer, protested Nguyen’s statement, saying he was bullying Bertone into giving answers that he truthfully didn’t know or did not recall.

-- Rong-Gong Lin II and Julie Cart in Kenner, La.

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