BP rig worker saw leak on safety equipment: Report

LONDON: A man who says he worked on the BP oil rig Deepwater Horizon has told the British Broadcasting Corp. he saw a leak on safety equipment weeks before the blast that led to the worst oil spill in US history.

Tyrone Benton said he informed the company about a leak on the blowout preventer, a crucial piece of safety equipment.

In excerpts of an interview posted to the BBC's website on Monday, Benton said another device was used ``so that they don't have to stop production.''

The Deepwater Horizon, which BP leased from Transocean Ltd., exploded on April 20.

In a statement, BP said it was aware of the allegations, and that Transocean was responsible for ``for both the operation and maintenance'' of the blowout preventer.