Is it just me, or is there something really wrong with this system?
Five days after appearing before Congress to testify about its responsibility in one of the worst oil spills in US history, the Swiss company that owned and operated the oil rig that sunk into the Gulf of Mexico announced that it would shell out $1 billion in dividends to shareholders.
The revelation that Transocean is distributing a $1 billion profit to shareholders as one of its drill sites leaks millions of gallons of oil into the sea is sure to inflame an already smarting debate over offshore drilling and the company’s role.
Transocean has passionately argued that they don’t share financial responsibility for the disaster. A clause in a contract they had with BP says that the oil company is obligated to pay for any environmental damage, even though Transocean actually owned the rig. BP was leasing the rig from Transocean at the time of the accident.
Transocean’s distribution to shareholders was done quietly on Friday at a “closed door meeting.” The company had previously announced that they would vote on the dividend at the event.
To put the distribution in perspective, the amount of profit that Transocean plans to pay out in the next year is half of what Exxon ultimately paid for the Exxon Valdez disaster off the Alaska Coast.
It’s also more than double what BP has said they’ve spent on the cleanup to date.
The company also made a paper gain from their insurance carrier after the Deepwater Horizon rig collapsed into the ocean aflame.
Transocean had insured the rig for $560 million, but apparently never spent that much money actually building it. The company’s CEO told investors on a recent conference call that the firm had book a $270 million “accounting gain” on the difference between the real value of the rig and the amount that they’d insured it for.
Since the rig collapsed, the company said they’ve already received $401 million from their insurance policy.
This reminds me of Goldman Sachs issuing bonuses just as the SEC opens investigations.
I suppose the idea is to spend the money before the fines are levied?
It’s the corporate way of giving humanity the finger. They do what they want, pollute at will, make US clean it up and bear the expense while they treat real people like disposable material. They’re run by heartless conniving bastards whose sole focus is on PROFITS AT ALL COSTS and have no concern for civic responsibility, environmental stewardship or human suffering.
i think it’s really interesting that their insurance company allows them to insure something for way more than its value. it’s not like you or i could buy a 50k house and insure it for twice as much and collect the whole 100k if one of our contractors blows it up. what a racket!
What an incredibly fast insurance payout, too!
Aren’t their still Katrina victims still attempting to receive $$$ from their homeowner’s ins. co.’s????