Embattled: Steve Westwell, left, was heckled twice as he stood in for BP chief executive Tony Hayward at the World National Oil Companies Congress in London
Disaster: Oil continues to pour out of the ruptured Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico in this underwater camera image
A BP executive standing in for embattled chief executive Tony Hayward has been heckled at a major oil conference in London today.
Chief of staff Steve Westwell was interrupted twice during his address at the World National Oil Companies Congress by protesters shouting 'we need to end the oil age'.
It comes as senior oil figures criticised President Barack Obama's six-month ban on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico as a U.S. judge considers whether to overturn it.
Mr Hayward cancelled his appearance at the oil conference today citing his need to focus on the oil spill clean up and capping operation.
Security: Police officers stand guard outside the central London hotel where the conference took place
Damage: A group of baby brown pelicans are kept in a holding pen before they can be cleaned of oil in Louisiana
Anger: People in Grand Isle, Louisiana, vent their anger at the continuing oil spill using popular cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants
Slick: Replacement wells to stop the leak are not expected to be completed until August and millions of gallons of oil continue to pollute the Gulf of Mexico
He had been due to give a keynote address about the global responsibilities of international oil companies and said he was 'genuinely sorry' not to be there.
Mr Westwell said: 'He and I both hope you understand his schedule is under incredible pressure at the moment.'
The White House strongly criticised Mr Hayward after he was pictured on Saturday on board his yacht during a round Isle of Wight race.
Steven Newman, president and chief executive of Transocean Ltd - which owned the Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded and caused the oil spill - said he was concerned by the drilling ban.
He said: 'There are things the administration could implement today that would allow the industry to go back to work tomorrow without an arbitrary six-month time limit.'
Chevron executive Jay Pryor also criticised the U.S. goverment move, saying the drilling moratorium would 'constrain supplies for world energy'.
'It would also be a step back for energy security,' he added.
Mr Obama's drilling ban has been challenged in the court and U.S. Judge Martin Feldman has said he will decided by tomorrow whether to overturn it.The Deepwater Horizon rig, run by BP, exploded on April 20 - killing 11 workers and setting off the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
More than 120million gallons of oil have already leaked from the rig's broken pipe, according to some U.S. government estimates.
Oil has been washing up on coastlines from Louisiana to Florida, killing birds and fish and coating marshes, wetlands and shorelines with tar balls and oily debris.
BP has tried several methods of shutting off the spill, including siphoning off the oil and a mud and concrete plug in the pipeline, but they have all failed.
A pair of relief wells, now considered the best chance of permanently stopping the leak, will not be completed until August.
0 comments:
Post a Comment