Halliburton, which did the cementing work for BP's Deepwater Horizon well, has pleaded guilty to destroying evidence of internal tests it conducted showing there was no difference between the effectiveness of putting six or 21 casing centralizers on the well, reports Reuters.

Centralizers help stabilize the well bore during cementing and, prior to the settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Halliburton had sought in court proceedings to pin blame on BP for the blowout because of its decision to save time and money by using only six centralizers.

According to Reuters, the plea would seem to hurt Halliburton as it seeks to settle its share of private claims over the disaster, currently estimated at $1.3 billion.

Source: Reuters