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Originally Posted by PR_Tom
Yeah I saw also that the emergency shut-off valve (whatever name they call it in oil speak) had failed and it should have clamped it shut as soon as the incident occured. They sent down a robot sub to try to make it activate but it failed to do so.
It's unthinkable that anyone would be allowed to drill on the sea floor without redundant emergency shut off's. But there ya go. Hard to predict the unknown I guess.
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Ok, I have read that BPs claims of back up valves are too expensive.
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Early investigations have revealed that BP did not bother to install -- and that U.S. regulations do not require -- a backup device to provide another layer of protection in case the "fail-safe" shutoff valve failed (which is exactly what happened). Brazil requires such a device, and oil companies like Shell install it routinely even in the U.S. BP didn't because, at $500,000, it was "too expensive."
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-p..._b_558473.html