Hearings Resume In New Orleans

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Maintenance on a safety device that failed to stop last year's BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the focus as a federal panel resumed hearings on the disaster in New Orleans.

A panel of the U.S. Coast Guard and the federal agency that oversees offshore drilling met Wednesday to question Mike Fry, an equipment manager for Transocean, owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig that was leased to BP.

A recent report by a government-hired testing firm said the device known as a blowout preventer failed because of faulty design and a bent piece of pipe. However, on Wednesday, Fry was questioned about why some components of the blowout preventer went years without a major overhaul. Fry said components were inspected and replaced or repaired as needed.