The latest theory over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is that Halliburton, which was in charge of cementing the oil well, could be a culprit in the matter. Oil well walls are cemented after rig workers finish drilling one for oil to prevent a leak.

 

Oil well walls are cemented after rig workers finish drilling one for oil, in order to prevent oil and natural leakage. It requires a particular form of cement, mixed, stirred and set in a precise manner. If it is flawed, it may fail to set properly and could lead to a crack and leakage of oil and gas, or a blowout.
 
Even as BP and regulators alike are investigating the cause of the oil rig explosion and subsequent sinking, a blowout that could have iginited is one of the probable cayses being considered.

 
If this is true, Halliburton could under major trouble. Halliburton was responsible for cementing another offshore well off the coast of Australia, which had blown up in August and leaked oul for ten weeks before it could be plugged. The Gulf of Mexico incident has only accelerated speculation about even that incident. Only the BP oil spill investigation can explain whether or not it was Halliburton's fault. 
 
Whatever may be the cause, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has given regulators impetus to rethink basic safety fundamentals of offshore drilling. It has also given pause to more offshore drilling in US. If Halliburton does come up as the culprit, this can also lead to a sea change in cementing practices.