Halliburton admits skipping test on Gulf well cement
Commission finds BP, partners knew formulation was unstable
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 10/29/2010 8:06:00 AM ET 2010-10-29T12:06:00
Halliburton Co. acknowledged late Thursday that it skipped doing a critical test on the final formulation of cement used to seal the BP oil well that blew out in the Gulf of Mexico.
Halliburton said that a successful test was performed on a mixture different than the one eventually used. While some tests were conducted on the new formulation requested by BP, those tests did not include a foam stability test, the company said.
Halliburton Co. made the admission in a statement issued Thursday in response to findings by the presidential oil spill commission.
A commission staff letter issued earlier Thursday said BP and Halliburton knew weeks before the Deepwater Horizon explosion that the cement mixture they planned to use to seal the new well was unstable but still completed the work.
