Seafood dealers suing over Gulf oil spill

DICKINSON — Two seafood dealers are among at least 13 plaintiffs in a $5 million class-action lawsuit that claims businesses were devastated by an oil spill from a Gulf drilling rig explosion.

The April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon killed 11 workers and resulted in an estimated 200,000 gallons of oil spilling daily from an undersea well 41 miles from the Louisiana coast.

The lawsuit blames BP, Halliburton, Cameron Industries and rig owner Transocean for the blowout. Halliburton, however, claimed its work was consistent with normal oil field practices.

Gastian’s Pier and Hillman Shrimp and Oyster Corp. rely heavily on seafood caught off Louisiana’s coast, said attorney Anthony G. Buzbee, who, as of Wednesday, represented 13 clients.

State Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, who also is an attorney, is listed as co-counsel on the lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Galveston.

Oystermen, commercial fishermen and seafood dealer, including Gastian’s Pier, which has been in business in Dickinson since 1974, are suffering heavy financial losses, Buzbee said.

“It purchases an average of $40,000 to $50,000 worth of seafood directly from Louisiana or through dealers,” Buzbee said. “Because of the explosion’s effect on the ecosystem, her entire business has been devastated,” he said, referring to Dor Gastian, who operates the pier.

Hillman Shrimp and Oyster Corp., with offices in Dickinson and Port Lavaca, process the most oysters on the Gulf Coast, Buzbee said.

“Hillman has been receiving 100 percent of its oysters from Louisiana for quite some time before the explosion,” Buzbee said, noting both offices sustained losses.

BP contracted with Transocean on the drilling operation, and Cameron International built the blowout preventers used by the rig, the lawsuit claims.

A blowout preventer is a large valve at the wellhead that can be closed if underground pressure causes oil or natural gas to enter the well bore and threaten the rig.

Crews were cementing the well being drilled when a blowout occurred, igniting a deadly blast, the lawsuit claims. All of the defendants are to blame for the fire, explosion and oil spill, the lawsuit claims.

Attempts to reach BP and Transocean for comment were unsuccessful. Cameron International declined to comment.

Halliburton claims its cement work was consistent with normal oil field practices, company spokeswoman Cathy Mann said.

“We continue to cooperate with ongoing investigations into the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig incident, as well as assist in efforts to identify the factors that may have lead up to the disaster,” Mann said.

It’s premature and irresponsible to speculate on any specific causal issues, Mann said.

The defendants operated the rig with untrained and unlicensed personnel and failed to observe and read gauges that would have indicated excessive pressures in the well, the lawsuit claims.

Thousands of Texas residents could sustain losses or damages associated with the spill, the lawsuit claims.

The plaintiffs seek, among other things, damages of at least $5 million.