Seadrill Accident Attorneys

$20+ Billion Won for Clients Across the United States

Founded in 2005, Seadrill is a Norwegian-Bermudan offshore drilling company. It has headquarters in Hamilton, Bermuda as well as regional offices in Houston, Oslo, Dubai, Singapore, Stavanger, Liverpool, London, and Rio de Janeiro. Since it was launched within the last couple of decades, the company has some of the youngest offshore drilling rigs in the industry. Seadrill Limited employs more than 4,500 workers.

This offshore drilling company has also been plagued by financial troubles, filing for bankruptcy twice within a four-year period. Seadrill first completed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 2018, once again getting listed on the New York Stock Exchange. By 2022, Seadrill had completed reorganization and found financing yet again through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, announcing its focus on “cost containment” among other things. At that time, it still owned or operated a modern fleet of 35 drilling rigs, comprised of ultra-deepwater floaters, harsh environment rigs, and jack-up rigs.

If financially successful corporations tend to cut costs and corners, then a struggling company is not likely to prioritize worker safety over pinching pennies either. If you were injured while working for Seadrill, contact our firm.

The Montara Oil Spill

On August 21, 2009, a blowout created a leak from the Montara wellhead platform in the Timor Sea, off the coast of Western Australia. Seadrill’s West Atlas rig was being used by PTTEP Australia for drilling operations. The rig leaked oil in the ocean for 74 days, and a fire broke out on the rig during attempts to stop the leak. It took four tries to finally seal it off. By then, the damage was already done: an estimated 1.2 to 9 million gallons of oil had spilled.

This was Australia’s first well blowout in over 25 years and one of the worst oil disasters in the country’s history. In 2015, Australian news agencies reported that recovery from the oil spill was slow, and in some cases, non-existent. The Australian government has claimed that it has no jurisdiction to prosecute the responsible parties. Reports since the incident have shown a drastic reduction in wildlife in the area as well as a significant decrease noted by Indonesian fishermen. In late 2016, a class action suit was filed in Sydney on behalf of 13,000 Indonesian seaweed farmers.

Workplace Accidents at Seadrill

Seadrill’s website maintains that safety is a cornerstone of their daily operations. However, their accident history says otherwise. Seadrill rigs have been involved in such accidents as:

  • In 2008, a Welshman was killed while working on a Seadrill-owned rig in Malaysia. The engineer, a 45-year-old father of 2 young children, was crushed after being struck by a metal pipe on the oil platform.
  • In May 2015, an employee fell from the Seadrill West Hercules off the coast of Canada.
  • In August 2015, an employee suffered a major injury when his fingers were caught in equipment. The engineer had been working on the Seadrill West Aquarius oil rig off the coast of Newfoundland when the incident occurred.
  • In 2017, a medic accused Seadrill of negligence after being injured while on the job. The lawsuit against Seadrill claimed that the company failed to provide safe working conditions, causing him to suffer lower back injuries.

Our Seadrill Accident Lawyers Are Ready to Help

The Jones Act lawyers at Arnold & Itkin have observed a disturbing trend of companies failing to protect their employees, despite paying lip service to a “culture of safety.” When an employee is injured, offshore companies like Seadrill often try to shift the blame to avoid covering the health costs caused by their negligence. These multi-million and multi-billion dollar corporations do this because they think they can get away with it. Arnold & Itkin doesn’t let them.

Our Seadrill accident lawyers protect our clients by holding large companies accountable for the pain they cause. We have won more than $20 billion for clients to help them afford medical care, replace lost wages, and rebuild their lives.

If you’ve been injured while working for Seadrill, our attorneys are here to help. Contact us today at (888) 346-5024 for a free consultation.

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