Transocean has hit back at allegations that it was among the parties dishing out bribes for contracts in the notorious Petrobras affair.
The Swiss-based firm, one of the world’s biggest offshore drilling contractors, has decided offence is the best defence and come back hard at published claims of the charges allegedly made by a former Petrobras executive who is one of the accused bribe takers.
Transocean’s public response casts credibility on the accuser’s account because he said only that he “believed” the briber was an agent of Transocean. The company also maintains that it had no reason to offer bribes as it had already won the contract based on the quality of its technical excellence and its competitive pricing.
Nevertheless, Transocean has pledged to do an internal investigation to see if any ethical standards were broken by individuals.
Transocean’s reputation took a hit back in 2010 when its Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, leaving 11 dead and causing around five million barrels of oil to gush into the Gulf of Mexico.
