From Platts Oilgram News (3 February 2011):
Mitsui affiliate MOEX Offshore has received invoices from BP seeking $2.64 billion in reimbursement related to the Macondo oil spill in the US Gulf of Mexico, Mitsui said February 2.
A wise attorney (not an oxymoron :)) recently mentioned that you had to be very careful about ventures that you are buying into (as a partner) or selling into (as a contractor or manufacturer). If something horrible happens, your company’s economic future could be jeopardized, even if your role was rather small.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 
…..sort of like marriage?
LOL
Does this apply if the operator has decided on their own accord to continue an operation with deficient equipment and without consultation to all other partners in a situation of non emergency?
Anadarko and Mitsui will do doubt make that argument. However, keep in mind that the Justice Department named these companies, along with TO, in a law suit that was filed in December, so the DOJ attorneys seem to think there is at least some shared responsibility. I think the key point is that you better know what you are buying into (as a partner) or selling into (as a contractor or manufacturer), and make sure the controls are in place to protect your interests. When disaster strikes, everyone connected with the incident is a target.
Will be interesting to see when the BOP investigation gets released end March 2011 .. started in Sept 2010 and has been delayed again and again. Only to date has the Gov. spill report been issued and does not include several points.
Yes, a lot of people are rightfully frustrated by the delays in the BOP investigation. How can this critical element of the investigation be treated as an afterthought?
The Q4000 videos provide some good clues as to what may have happened. Consistent with the video evidence, both TO and BP are saying that the shear ram actuated and sealed the well (at least partially). It seems that the flow was through eroded channels in the body of the BOP. Maintenance records will no doubt be closely scrutinized. TO has made the surprising statement that the BOPE performed as designed.
It’s more interesting to read about the BOP several weeks before the failure on the day it was triggered to shear and shut and subsequently the blowout.