Oil expert says BP ignored safety

BP failed to implement a new safety plan on the Deepwater Horizon rig even though it realised a blowout in the Gulf of Mexico was its greatest danger, a court heard today.

University engineering professor Robert Bea, an expert for people and businesses suing the company, was the first witness at a civil trial to determine how much more BP and other companies should pay for the spill. He said BP did not implement a two-year-old safety management programme on the rig that exploded in the Gulf in 2010.