BP reacts to gulf oil spill report

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- BP said it was taking action to increase safety measures in the gulf after a probe of a 2010 oil spill found multiple flawed decisions led to the disaster.

A National Academy of Engineering/National Research Council report concluded that multiple decisions from Halliburton, Transocean and BP led to a blowout of the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010.

The blowout sparked an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, which killed 11 works and led to the largest accident oil spill in U.S. history. The panel also found that U.S. regulators failed to exercise appropriate oversight of activity in the gulf.

BP, in a statement, said the NAE/NRC findings are consistent with earlier investigations that found a cascading series of events ultimately led to the disaster. Transocean, Halliburton and BP were all blamed for the incident.

"We have stepped up to meet our obligations in the gulf and we continue to encourage Transocean and Halliburton to similarly acknowledge their responsibilities and contribute to those economic and environmental restoration efforts," BP said in a statement.

The report said there were "multiple signs" and "numerous past warnings" of an impending blowout at Macondo that went unnoticed by energy management and crew.

"The need to maintain domestic sources of oil is great but so is the need to protect the lives of those who work in the offshore drilling industry as well as protect the viability of the Gulf of Mexico region," Donald Winter, former secretary of the U.S. Navy and chairman of the committee that wrote the report, said in a statement.

Halliburton and Transocean didn't publish public reactions to the report.