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Transocean heads want to donate bonus money

Managers of the Zug-registered offshore oil rig contractor Transocean have announced that they plan to donate their bonus payments to Deepwater Horizon victims.

Earlier this week the company drew criticism when it awarded its employees bonuses for its “best year in safety performance” – despite the Deepwater Horizon explosion last April.

CEO Steven Newman announced on Tuesday that he and four other Transocean managers want to donate their bonuses to a fund for the victims of the explosion. The five bonuses add up to $250,000 (SFr231,600).

The explosion at the rig on April 20, 2010 killed 11 people and leaked 780 million litres of oil into the Gulf of Mexico – making it the worst oil spill in United States history.

Safety accounts for a quarter of the executives’ total cash bonuses. Newman’s total bonus for last year was $374,062 (SFr345,670).

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