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working radios and I talked to the bridge. I informed my guys to come
inside away from the deck area. So my focus was there and it wasnʹt
nowhere else on the rig until I felt and heard the explosion off the port
side there.
315

These witnesses testified that they saw mud flowing and possibly a “gassy
smoke” in the vicinity of the air intake for engine room 3 and the mud gas
separator prior to the explosions. This suggests that engine room 3 or the mud
gas separator was a possible ignition source.

C. Other Possible Ignition Sources

1. Electrical Equipment in Hazardous Areas

Hazardous area classification is based on the identification of areas or
zones according to the likelihood of the presence of sensitive flammable gas or
vapor concentrations. The most likely location for unguarded electrical
equipment to ignite flammable gas is the area on or near the drill floor.
Transocean classified the drill floor on the Deepwater Horizon as a Zone 2
hazardous area. Zone 2 denotes an area where explosive gas/air mixtures are not
likely to occur, but if they do occur, they are expected to be present for only a
short period of time.

Electrical equipment in designated hazardous areas must be subject to the
following safeguards: (1) explosion‐proof enclosures; (2) intrinsically‐safe
equipment (does not have sufficient energy to ignite flammable gases); and (3)
purged and pressurized equipment (contained within enclosures supplied with
fresh air from a safe location at a pressure higher than the pressure of the
surrounding area).

The Panel found no evidence that electrical equipment in designated
hazardous areas was an ignition source. MMS inspectors conducted three
inspections while the Deepwater Horizon was on location at the Macondo well,
and they issued no Incidents of Non‐Compliance (“INCs”) following inspection
of rig floor electrical equipment. No witness testimony or other evidence
identified any failure by Transocean to subject the electric equipment in
designated hazardous areas to the appropriate safeguards.

315 Testimony of Alwin Landry, Joint Investigation Hearing, May 11, 2010, at 99‐100.

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