HOUSTON  The chief executive of Anadarko Petroleum, a BP partner, accused BP late Friday of recklessness in the way the company managed the gulf well project before it ended in environmental disaster.

“The mounting evidence clearly demonstrates that this tragedy was preventable and the direct result of BP’s reckless decisions and actions,” Jim Hackett, Anadarko’s chairman and chief executive, said in a statement. “Frankly, we are shocked by the publicly available information that has been disclosed in recent investigations and during this week’s testimony.”

Anadarko owns a 25 percent stake in the well, which means it could potentially be liable for that percentage of the total damages. BP owns 65 percent of the project, with the Japanese company Mitsui owning the remaining 10 percent. Anadarko’s share price had dropped more than 40 percent since the April 20 accident.

In its statement, Anadarko said that under its joint operating agreement, “BP is responsible to its co-owners for damages caused by its gross negligence or willful misconduct.”