Harrell, Deepwater Horizon rig supervisor, dead
MORTON, Miss. (AP) — Jimmy Harrell, a supervisor on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, has died at age 65.
Harrell, who worked for rig owner Transocean, died Monday, according to Wolf Funeral Home in Morton, Mississippi. He had battled cancer for a year.
Harrell was a key Transocean supervisor on the rig leased by BP. Investigations indicated Harrell had been unhappy with the oil giant’s plans for shutting down the rig. During a May 2010 government hearing he acknowledged disagreements but denied reports that there were headed debates.
At his insistence, a key pressure test that had not been originally scheduled was run. But investigations found that others with Transocean and BP misinterpreted the results. A federal judge eventually said that BP ultimately was responsible for the misinterpreted results, one of the factors resulting in a ruling that BP was grossly negligent and bore most of the responsibility for the disaster. The judge also ruled that Transocean and Halliburton, which was tasked with sealing the well, were partially to blame.
Eleven workers died in the explosion and 134 million gallons of oil spewed into the Gulf, fouling beaches from Louisiana to Florida, killing hundreds of thousands of marine animals
and devastating the region’s tourist economy.
Harrell’s attorney, Pat Fanning, told WWL-TV that federal prosecutors tried to persuade Harrell to admit some criminal
negligence and, as part of a plea deal, testify against two BP rig bosses. Harrell, who was portrayed by actor Kurt Russell in a 2016 movie about the disaster, refused.