Co: Crew should have done more on spill

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NEW ORLEANS, March 19 (UPI) -- The head of Transoceans Ltd. told a New Orleans court Tuesday crew members should have done more to prevent a 2010 well blowout that soiled gulf waters.

'Do I wish the crew would have done more?" said Steven Newman, president and chief executive of the company that leased the Deepwater Horizon drilling rid to BP. "Absolutely," The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported.

Newman made the statement under questioning by a Transocean attorney during the 14th day of a civil trial to determine liability for the accident that spewed oil into the Gulf of Mexico and coastal areas for weeks before the well was finally capped.

Eleven workers died in the initial gas explosion on April 20, 2010, that preceded the spill.

Companies held responsible for the explosion and resulting environmental damage could be liable for tens of billions of dollars in fines and damages.

Transocean has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor environmental charge and agreed to pay $1.4 billion in civil and criminal penalties.