Ma

29981
Hubbs Phil-208
Alternative Final Paper
British Petroleum, also known as BP is, one of the worlds largest oil and

gas companies, who has ties to multiple nations. In the early 2000s, BP was

growing exponentially by merging and buying smaller petroleum companies.

However, in the spring of 2010, the BP operated oil rig The Macondo

Prospect blew up, spilling over 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of

Mexico. In this paper I will, give a deontological analysis of BPs lack of

preparation and attention to detail during and after this disaster.

The Macondo Prospect was owned by the company Transocean, but

was operated under BP. When the rig exploded in 2010, BP was unprepared

for a disaster of such a large magnitude. BP failed multiple times to close the

blowout that was present on the main well, which would stop the spill. They

then attempted to place a contaminant dome over the well to contain the

spill. However, it failed because the water was too deep. It was not until four

months after the initial disaster that a custom made cap was placed over the

main well, which ultimately plugged up the hole that was releasing the toxins

into the gulf. However, BP later admitted that there are still areas where a

small amount of crude oil is still leaking into the ocean. During the

investigation, BP was found guilty for misreading pressure data when

replacing drilling fluid in the main well, resulting in the well bursting.

BPs lack of preparation and attention to detail was the reason both a

huge environmental and business disaster occurred. Deontology is a form of

ethics that states good action is a matter of knowing and doing ones duty.

BPs only duty was to its shareholders, its employees, and the environment,

from which it got its main product. In a matter of days after the disaster,

BPs stock price drooped from 60 dollars to nearly 25 dollars. In addition, BP

was forced to pay a 6.2-billion-dollar bailout to the Gulf States. In addition,

they destroyed the Gulfs sea life, which the Gulf Coasts economy relied on

heavily as its main source of income. One could argue that it was the drill

managers who broke their duty, by not properly checking the drill pressure.

However, it was BP who pushed them to keep drilling in order to maximize

profits. BP also did not have the up-to-date equipment that was needed to

stop a spill of such a huge size. They were aware of this the entire time the

spill was occurring, but chose not to update the equipment because it would

be expensive and BP didnt think that it was worth their time. If BP would

have upheld its duty of properly running a business of their stature, they

would have not faced such backlash from the spill. This would have led to

their stock price being more stable, and a bailout that would have been half

out what they ended up paying.