Halliburton admits skipping key test for BP

US OIL services giant Halliburton has acknowledged it skipped a key test on the cement mix pumped into BP’s Gulf of Mexico well after BP changed the formula shortly before the explosion.

A commission set up by US President Barack Obama pointed to unstable cement that Halliburton poured into BP’s Macondo well to secure the casing on the sea floor as a cause of the April 20 explosion.

Halliburton said it was reviewing results of a government probe which said the firm knew the mix was faulty.