Oil Rigs' Safety Questioned as Governments Rely on Private Inspections

"To ensure that oil rigs, tankers and other commercial ships are in safe operating condition, governments around the world, including the U.S. government, often rely on inspections by private firms that are hired and paid by the vessels' owners.

But how much confidence should the world have in the maritime watchdogs?

The Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, which claimed 11 lives and fouled the Gulf of Mexico, has revealed that the mobile oil rig leased by BP had a host of maintenance problems.

Case in point: In April, the company that owned the rig gave parts of two cranes its worst rating, indicating that they did not work or should be removed from service.

That assessment was for the company's internal use.

Less than two months earlier, one of the main inspection firms upon which governments depend declared that the same cranes were in satisfactory condition."

David S. Hilzenrath reports for the Washington Post August 15, 2010.