Transocean Limited, which was at the center of one of the biggest PR disasters in recent years – last year’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill — has apparently learned nothing about polishing their image or acting like a good corporate citizen.
Inexplicably, the company announced last week that, despite its ownership of the Deep Horizon rig that exploded and killed 11 workers, and despite its link to the deep water spill that continued for months, Transocean was paying bonuses to its executives for their excellent safety record.
You cannot make this stuff up.
The company arrogantly announced to its stockholders, that “despite the tragic loss of life,” Transocean enjoyed its best safety year ever. Hefty bonuses paid to executives were, in part, due to that safety record.
The company later acknowledged that trumpeting its safety record and paying the bonuses might have been “insensitive.”
But, of course, that was too little, too late.
A firestorm of public outrage broke out, especially along the Gulf Coast, and the company yesterday finally relented. Transocean executives awkwardly announced that they will not bank the bonuses but instead will donate them — $250,000 worth — to the families of the killed workers.
“The executive team made this decision because we believe it is the right thing to do,” CEO Steven Newman said in a statement Tuesday. “Nothing is more important to Transocean than our people, and it was never our intent to diminish the effect the Macondo tragedy has had on those who lost loved ones. We offer our most sincere apologies and we regret the impact this matter has had on the entire Transocean family.”
Sincere? Seriously?
