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U.S. Judge Orders Transocean to Turn Over Records [USA]
Transocean...must turn over safety records to the U.S. government, a federal judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans today ordered the Vernier, Switzerland-based firm to turn over records pertaining to any other rigs or vessels it had in the gulf on the date of the accident...Richard Hymel, a Transocean lawyer, called the request “a fishing expedition” for records that were “irrelevant” to the incident. The company already produced safety records for the Deepwater Horizon, he told Barbier at today’s hearing...“Our focus is on finding the cause, preventing future accidents and improving industry standards,” Transocean said...in an e-mailed statement. “While we do not believe this ruling and discovery will advance those goals, we will, as always, respect and comply with the court’s instructions.”...Guy Cantwell, a Transocean spokesman, said Dec. 15...“The responsibility for hydrocarbons discharged from a well lies solely with its owner and operator.”