Did computer software cause the BP Oil Spill?

We don't have access to all the data from this incident. However, Transocean's interim report, submitted to Representative Henry Waxman's committee in the US House of Representatives on 8 June 2010, stated the following under an "Action items/work needed" section: "Full control-system software review. Software code requested from manufacturer for investigation." Apparently, in studying the disaster, there's speculation of a software connection.


Offshore oil rigs comprise dozens of complex subsystems that use embedded software or are operated under software control. For numerous reasons, each system is a potential point of failure. For example, three rigs with the same design built over four years can end up with different equipment and software versions that might not integrate as expected. This could also lead to serious configuration-management problems.

Another problem is that much of the software residing in or controlling components is routinely delivered well after the equipment is onboard the rig. Engineers test the interfaces at the last minute, if they even test the software at all. Equipment interfaces thus present the weakest link in offshore oil rig systems in terms of reliability and safety, because the industry lacks interface standards and sufficient testing methods.

We'll learn more about software's role in this disaster as additional evidence surfaces.