Deepwater Horizon

This article is about the drilling rig. For other uses, see Deepwater Horizon (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox ship imageTemplate:Infobox ship careerTemplate:Infobox ship characteristics

Deepwater Horizon was an ultra-deepwater, dynamically positioned, semi-submersible offshore drilling rig<ref name="rig spec2">"Fleet Specifications: Deepwater Horizon". Transocean. Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2010.</ref> owned by Transocean and operated by BP. On 20 April 2010, while drilling at the Macondo Prospect, a blowout caused an explosion on the rig that killed 11 crewmen and ignited a fireball visible from 40 miles (64 km) away.<ref>Crittenden, Guy (10 May 2010). "Understanding the initial Deepwater Horizon fire". HazMat Management. Archived from the original on 20 June 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2010.</ref> The fire was inextinguishable and, two days later, on 22 April, the Horizon sank, leaving the well gushing at the seabed and causing the largest marine oil spill in history.<ref name="largest in US hist2">Staff and wire (27 May 2010). "Gulf oil spill now largest offshore spill in history as BP continues plug effort". USA Today. Retrieved 9 June 2010.</ref><ref name="MHL" />

Built in 2001 in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries,<ref name="mms ivan2">Malcolm Sharples et al for Offshore Risk & Technology Consulting Inc., under contract for Minerals Management Service, Order no. 0105PO39221 (April 2006). "Post Mortem Failure Assessment of MODUs During Hurricane Ivan" (PDF). US Government Minerals Management Service. pp. 50–51. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2006. Retrieved 23 June 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)</ref> the rig was commissioned by R&B Falcon (a later asset of Transocean),<ref name="merger2">"Transocean Sedco Forex to close pending merger with R&B Falcon on January 31, 2001". PR Newswire. 29 January 2001. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2010.</ref> registered in Majuro, and leased to BP from 2001 until September 2013.<ref name="offshore-mag0111092">"Deepwater Horizon contract extended". Offshore Magazine. PennWell Corporation. 1 November 2009. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.</ref> In September 2009, the rig drilled the deepest oil well in history at a vertical depth of 35,050 ft (10,683 m) and measured depth of 35,055 ft (10,685 m)<ref name="Transocean Release2">"Transocean's Ultra-Deepwater Semisubmersible Rig Deepwater Horizon Drills World's Deepest Oil and Gas Well" (Press release). Transocean. 2 September 2009. Archived from the original on 26 April 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2010.</ref> in the Tiber Oil Field at Keathley Canyon block 102, approximately 250 miles (400 km) southeast of Houston, in 4,132 feet (1,259 m) of water.<ref name="rigzone200909022">"BP Makes Giant Deepwater Discovery with Tiber". Rigzone. 2 September 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2010.</ref>

Design

File:Deepwater Nautilus.jpg

The Deepwater Nautilus, sister rig to the Deepwater Horizon, being transported aboard a heavy-lift ship

Template:Deepwater Horizon oil spill series Deepwater Horizon was a fifth-generation, RBS-8D design (i.e. model type), deepwater, dynamically positioned, column-stabilized,<ref name="mms ivan">Malcolm Sharples et al for Offshore Risk & Technology Consulting Inc., under contract for Minerals Management Service, Order no. 0105PO39221 (April 2006). "Post Mortem Failure Assessment of MODUs During Hurricane Ivan" (PDF). US Government Minerals Management Service. pp. 50–51. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2006. Retrieved 23 June 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)</ref> semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit, designed to drill subsea wells for oil exploration and production using an 18.75 in (476 mm), 15,000 psi (100,000 kPa) blowout preventer, and a 21 in (530 mm) outside diameter marine riser.<ref name="rig spec">"Fleet Specifications: Deepwater Horizon". Transocean. Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2010.</ref>

Deepwater Horizon was the second semi-submersible rig constructed of a class of two, although Deepwater Nautilus, its predecessor, is not dynamically positioned. The rig was 396 by 256 ft (121 by 78 m) and capable of operating in waters up to 8,000 feet (2,400 m) deep, to a maximum drill depth of 30,000 ft (9,100 m).<ref name="rig spec" /> In 2010 it was one of approximately 200 deepwater offshore rigs capable of drilling in waters deeper than 5,000 ft (1,500 m).<ref>"Rig Data Centre". Rigzone. 28 May 2010. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.</ref> Its American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) class notations were "A1, Column Stabilized Drilling Unit, AMS, ACCU, DPS-3".<ref name="mms ivan" />

In 2002, the rig was upgraded with "e-drill", a drill monitoring system whereby technical personnel based in Houston, Texas, received real-time drilling data from the rig and transmitted maintenance and troubleshooting information.<ref>"Monitoring system reduces rig downtime". Offshore Magazine. PennWell Corporation. 1 November 2002. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.</ref>

Advanced systems played a key role in the rig's operation, from pressure and drill monitoring technology, to automated shutoff systems<ref>"BP oil spill 'slows' but serious IT failures come to surface". IT news website. Computerworld UK. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2010.</ref> and modelling systems for cementing. The OptiCem cement modelling system, used by Halliburton in April 2010, played a crucial part in cement slurry mix and support decisions. These decisions became a focus for investigations into the explosion on the rig that month.<ref>"Deepwater Horizon modelling software showed BP cement conditions unstable". IT news website. Computerworld UK. 12 November 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2010.</ref>

History

Construction and ownership

Deepwater Horizon was built for R&B Falcon (which later became part of Transocean)<ref name="merger">"Transocean Sedco Forex to close pending merger with R&B Falcon on January 31, 2001". PR Newswire. 29 January 2001. Retrieved 23 June 2010. – date of publication verifiable on [1]</ref> by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea.<ref name="mms ivan" /> Construction started in December 1998, the keel was laid on 21 March 2000,<ref name=abs>"ABS Record: Deepwater Horizon". American Bureau of Shipping. 21 March 2000. Retrieved 9 June 2010.</ref> and the rig was delivered on 23 February 2001,<ref name=abs /> after the acquisition of R&B Falcon by Transocean.<ref name="marketwatch1">"Transocean Ltd. Provides Deepwater Horizon Update". Wall Street Journal. 26 April 2010. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.</ref> Until 29 December 2004 the rig was registered in the Republic of Panama.<ref name=MHL>Deepwater Horizon Marine Casualty Investigation Report (PDF) (Report). Office of the Maritime Administrator. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2013.</ref>

Transocean, through its Steinhausen, Switzerland<ref>"Entry for Triton Asset Leasing GmbH". Moneyhouse.ch "Commercial register and company data". Retrieved 23 June 2010.</ref> subsidiary<ref>"Transocean Inc 10-K filings, Exhibit 21: Subsidiaries (SEC File 333-75899, Accession Number 1140361-7-4583)". SEC EDGAR database, for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2010.</ref> Triton Asset Leasing GmbH,<ref name=subsidiaries>"Transocean Ltd., Form 10-K, Annual Report, Filing Date Feb 24, 2010". secdatabase.com. Retrieved 15 May 2018.</ref><ref name=abs /> operated the rig under the Marshallese flag of convenience.<ref name=lease>Reddall, Braden (22 April 2010). "Transocean rig loss's financial impact mulled". Reuters. Retrieved 1 May 2010.</ref> The rig was leased to BP on a three-year contract for deployment in the Gulf of Mexico following construction.<ref>"Deepwater Horizon launched by TSF". Offshore Deepwater Horizon launched by TSF magazine. 1 June 2001. Archived from the original on 24 June 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2010.</ref> The lease was renewed in 2004 for a year,<ref>"Transocean Receives Contract Extensions for High-Specification Rigs Discoverer Enterprise and Deepwater Horizon". Business Wire. 26 April 2004. Retrieved 23 June 2010.</ref> 2005 for five years,<ref>"Transocean Inc. Announces Contract Awards for Two High-Specification Semisubmersible Rigs". Business Wire. 28 April 2005. Archived from the original on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2010.</ref> and 2009 for three years covering 2010 to 2013.<ref name="lease" /><ref name="offshore-mag011109">"Deepwater Horizon contract extended". Offshore Magazine. PennWell Corporation. 1 November 2009. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.</ref> The last contract was worth $544 million, or $496,800 a day,<ref>"The Well". The Houston Chronicle. 17 October 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2010.</ref> for a "bare rig",<ref name="forensic">Bartley J. Eckhardt, PE; Arthur Faherty (20 May 2010). "Forensic Anatomy of the Events on the Deepwater Horizon" (PDF). Robson Forensic. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 June 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2010.</ref> with crew, gear and support vessels estimated to cost the same.<ref name="forensic" />

According to R&B Falcon's filings to SEC in 2001, the transfer document between R&B Falcon and Transocean was dated 17 August 2001,<ref name="sec2001">"R&B FALCON CORP, Form 8-K, Current Report, Filing Date Aug 31, 2001". secdatabase.com. Retrieved 15 May 2018.</ref> and the rig was specified as "official registration number of 29273-PEXT-1, IMO number of 8764597, with gross tonnage of 32,588 and net tonnage of 9,778"<ref name="sec2001" /> and the transfer value as US$340 million.<ref name="sec2001" /> As of 2010, the rig was insured for US$560 million covering the replacement cost and wreckage removal.<ref name="marketwatch1" />

Drilling operations

Deepwater Horizon worked on wells in the Atlantis (BP 56%, BHP 44%) and Thunder Horse (BP 75%, ExxonMobil 25%)<ref>Bergin, Tom (17 June 2008). "BP's Thunder Horse starts oil and gas production". Reuters. Retrieved 29 May 2009.</ref> oil fields. It was described at times as a "lucky" and "celebrated" rig,<ref name="mcclatchy" /> and in 2007 was still described as "one of the most powerful rigs in the world".<ref>"Kaskida". Oil & Gas Investor. 1 April 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2010. Alternate link Archived 5 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine</ref> In 2006, it discovered oil in the Kaskida oil field and, in 2009, the "giant" Tiber oil field.<ref name=Rigzone>"BP & Partners Make Discovery at Kaskida Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico" (Press release). RigZone. 31 August 2006. Retrieved 24 April 2010.</ref><ref name=Discovery>"Deepwater Horizon Drills World's Deepest Oil & Gas Well". TransOcean. 2 September 2009. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.</ref> The well in the Tiber field had a true vertical depth of 35,050 ft (10,683 m) and a measured depth of 35,055 ft (10,685 m), below 4,132 ft (1,259 m) of water.<ref name=offshore/> The well was the deepest oil well in the world<ref name=Discovery/><ref name=offshore>"BP drills oil discovery in the Gulf of Mexico". Offshore Magazine. PennWell Corporation. 2 September 2009. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.</ref><ref name=reuters020909>Braden Reddall (2 September 2009). "Transocean says well at BP discovery deepest ever". Reuters. Retrieved 22 April 2010.</ref><ref name="Deepest">"Transocean's Deepwater Horizon drills world's deepest oil and gas well". Red Mist Media. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010.</ref> and more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m) farther below the seabed than the rig's official drilling specification stated on the company's fleet list.<ref>"Fleet Status Report". Transocean. 13 April 2010. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2010.</ref>

In February 2010, Deepwater Horizon commenced drilling an exploratory well at the Macondo Prospect (Mississippi Canyon Block 252), about 41 miles (66 km) off the southeast coast of Louisiana, at a water depth of approximately 5,000 feet (1,500 m).<ref name="otMacondo">"Macondo Prospect, Gulf of Mexico, USA". offshore-technology.com. 20 October 2005. Retrieved 9 May 2010.</ref> The Macondo prospect exploration rights had been acquired by BP in 2009,<ref name=auction>"Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area Lease Sale 206 Information". US Minerals Management Service. 8 August 2008. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2010.</ref> with the prospect jointly owned by BP (65%), Anadarko Petroleum (25%) and MOEX Offshore 2007 (10%).<ref name=subsea>"Offshore Field Development Projects: Macondo". Subsea.Org. Archived from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2010.</ref> Deepwater Horizon was still working on the Macondo site on 20 April 2010, when a violent explosion occurred leading to destruction of the rig and the subsequent oil spill.<ref name=Rigzone2>"Deepwater Horizon Still on Fire in GOM". Rigzone. 21 April 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2010.</ref><ref name="times sinks" /><ref name=BP>"BP confirms that Transocean Ltd issued the following statement today" (Press release). BP. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2010.</ref><ref>"Gibbs: Deepwater Horizon Aftermath Could Affect Next Lease Sale". Rigzone. 30 April 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.</ref> This oil spill has been recorded as the largest offshore spill to occur to date,<ref>Michel, Jacqueline; Owens, Edward H.; Zengel, Scott; Graham, Andrew; Nixon, Zachary; Allard, Teresa; Holton, William; Reimer, P. Doug; Lamarche, Alain; White, Mark; Rutherford, Nicolle (12 June 2013). "Extent and Degree of Shoreline Oiling: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico, USA". PLOS ONE. 8 (6): e65087. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...865087M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065087. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3680451. PMID 23776444.</ref> resulting in 40 miles (64 km) of coastal pollution.<ref>Kujawinski, Elizabeth B.; Kido Soule, Melissa C.; Valentine, David L.; Boysen, Angela K.; Longnecker, Krista; Redmond, Molly C. (15 February 2011). "Fate of Dispersants Associated with the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill". Environmental Science & Technology. 45 (4): 1298–1306. Bibcode:2011EnST...45.1298K. doi:10.1021/es103838p. hdl:1912/4332. ISSN 0013-936X. PMID 21265576.</ref> The well was in the final stages of completion after cement had been emplaced for its last casing string. The exploratory work had been described as "concluded" with permission already having been requested from MMS to terminate operations at the Macondo site.<ref>"UPDATED: Search Continues for 11 Missing Workers". RigZone. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2010.</ref> The rig was scheduled to move to its next roles as semi-permanent production platforms, initially at the Tiber site followed by a return to the Kaskida field, an oil dome 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana.<ref name="mcclatchy">Washburn, Mark (14 May 2010). "A huff and boom ended Deepwater Horizon's good luck". The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010.</ref>

During its operational lifetime, the rig was actively in operation for 93% of its working life (2,896 of 3,131 days). The remainder partly was time spent moving between sites.<ref name="AP rig record">"Review: Oil rig inspections fell short of guidelines". Associated Press. 16 May 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2021.</ref>

Regulation, safety, and inspection

The Minerals Management Service (renamed on 18 June 2010 to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, or Bureau of Ocean Energy (BOE))<ref name="boe">"Salazar Swears-In Michael R. Bromwich to Lead Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement". Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. 21 June 2010. Archived from the original on 26 June 2010.</ref> is the regulatory and inspecting body for offshore oil drilling and rigs in the United States of America.<ref name="boe" /> According to an Associated Press investigation, certain safety documentation and emergency procedure information, including documentation for the exact incident that later occurred, was absent.<ref name="AP rig record" /> The exact number of required monthly inspections performed varied over time; the inspections were carried out as required for the first 40 months, but after that around 25% of inspections were omitted,<ref name="AP rig record" /> although the investigation notes this is partly expected, since there are circumstances such as weather and movement which preclude an inspection.<ref name="AP rig record" /> Reports of the last three inspections for 2010 were provided under Freedom of Information legislation. Each of these inspections had taken two hours or less.<ref name="AP rig record" />

During its lifetime the rig received 5 citations for non-compliance, 4 of which were in 2002 (safety, including the blowout preventer) and the other in 2003 (pollution).<ref name="AP rig record" /> A sixth citation in 2007 related to non-grounded electrical equipment was later withdrawn when the equipment was determined to be compliant with regulations.<ref name="AP rig record" /> Overall the Deepwater HorizonTemplate:'s safety record was "strong" according to a drilling consultant reviewing the information.<ref name="AP rig record" /> In 2009 the Minerals Management Service "herald[ed] the Deepwater Horizon as an industry model for safety".<ref name="AP rig record" /> According to AP's investigation "its record was so exemplary, according to MMS officials, that the rig was never on inspectors' informal 'watch list' for problem rigs".<ref name="AP rig record" />

Explosion and oil spill

Main articles: Deepwater Horizon explosion and Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Deepwater Horizon in flames after the explosion

At 7:45 p.m. CDT on 20 April 2010, during the final phases of drilling the exploratory well off the gulf of Mexico, a geyser of seawater erupted from the marine riser onto the rig, shooting 70 m into the air. This was soon followed by the eruption of a slushy combination of drilling mud, methane gas, and water. The gas component of the slushy material quickly transitioned into a fully gaseous state and then ignited into a series of explosions and then a firestorm. An attempt was made to activate the blowout preventer, but it failed.<ref name=upstream290410>Brenner, Noah; Guegel, Anthony; Watts, Rob; Pitt, Anthea (29 April 2010). "Horizon crew tried to activate BOP". Upstream Online. NHST Media Group. Retrieved 4 June 2010.</ref> The final defense to prevent an oil spill, a device known as a blind shear ram, was activated but failed to plug the well.<ref>"Investigating the Cause of the Deepwater Horizon Blowout". New York Times. 21 June 2010.</ref>

Ten workers were presumed killed in the initial explosion:

Jason Anderson, 35, of Midfield, Texas;

Donald Clark, 49, of Newellton, Louisiana;

Stephen Ray Curtis, 40, of Georgetown, Louisiana;

Gordon Jones, 28, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana;

Roy Wyatt Kemp, 27, Jonesville, Louisiana;

Karl Kleppinger Jr., 38, Natchez, Mississippi;

Keith Blair Manuel, 56, of Gonzales, Louisiana;

Dewey Revette, 48, of State Line, Mississippi;

Shane Roshto, 22, Liberty, Mississippi;

Adam Weise, 24, Yorktown, Texas.

An eleventh was crane operator Aaron Dale Burkeen, 37, Philadelphia, Mississippi, who died in the subsequent fire.

The rig was evacuated, with injured workers airlifted to medical facilities. After approximately 36 hours, Deepwater Horizon sank on 22 April 2010. The remains of the rig were located resting on the seafloor approximately 1,500 m deep at that location, and about 400 m northwest of the well.<ref name="times sinks">Robertson, Cambell; Robbins, Liz (22 April 2010). "Oil Rig Sinks in the Gulf of Mexico". New York Times. Retrieved 22 April 2010.</ref><ref name=bloomberg220410>Resnick-Ault, Jessica; Klimasinska, Katarzyna (22 April 2010). "Transocean Oil-Drilling Rig Sinks in Gulf of Mexico". Bloomberg. Retrieved 22 April 2010.</ref><ref>"Deepwater Horizon Incident, Gulf of Mexico". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Response and Restoration. 24 April 2010. Archived from the original on 29 April 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.</ref>

The resultant oil spill continued until 15 July when it was closed by a cap.<ref>"Bird Habitats Threatened by Oil Spill". National Wildlife. National Wildlife Federation. 30 April 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010.</ref> Relief wells were used to permanently seal the well, which was declared "effectively dead" on 19 September 2010.<ref>"US Government: Deepwater Horizon Well Is Effectively Dead". 19 September 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2009.</ref> NOAA established the Gulf Spill Restoration project, under the Deep Water Horizon National Resource Damage Assessment Trustees, to help to restore much of the coastline.<ref>"NOAA Gulf Spill Restoration |". www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov. Retrieved 5 March 2021.</ref>

Aftermath

Further information: Deepwater Horizon litigation

Transocean received an early partial insurance settlement for total loss of the Deepwater Horizon of US$401 million around 5 May 2010.<ref>Green, Meg (7 May 2010). "Transocean: Insurers Have Already Paid $401 Million for Deepwater Horizon Loss". Insurance news net. Retrieved 17 June 2010.</ref> Financial analysts noted that the insurance recovery was likely to outweigh the value of the rig (although not necessarily its replacement value) and any liabilities – the latter estimated at up to Template:US$.<ref>Fortson, Danny (9 May 2010). "Rig firm's $270m profit from deadly spill". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 17 June 2010.</ref>

Litigation, ultimate roll call of damage, and the scope of final insurance recovery were all unknown as of June 2010, with analysts reporting that the aftermath was of unprecedented scale and complexity compared to previous disasters which themselves took many years to unfold and resolve.<ref name="reutersafrica">Stempel, Jonathan (30 June 2010). "Special Report – BP oil spill a gusher for lawyers". Reuters Africa. Archived from the original on 20 July 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2010.</ref><ref>Kam, Dara (29 June 2010). "Valdez expert: Psychological impact of Gulf oil spill won't fully emerge for years". palm Beach post news. Archived from the original on 28 April 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2010.</ref> A July 2010 analysis by the Financial Times on the aftermath cited legal sources as saying that "at some point the scale of the litigation becomes so large that it really is novel", that "the situation is likely to be complicated further because the variety of probable cases means it will be hard to aggregate them into so-called class actions" and that there was "no way to put this in historical context because we have never faced anything like this before".<ref>"BP: Eagles and vultures". Financial Times. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2010.</ref> As with the Exxon Valdez disaster, litigation was being discussed in terms of a 20-year timescale.<ref name="reutersafrica" />

In January 2013, Transocean agreed to pay US$1.4 billion for violations of the US Clean Water Act. BP had earlier agreed to pay $2.4 billion but faced additional penalties that could range from $5 billion to $20 billion.<ref>David Malakoff (3 January 2013). "Second Oil Spill Settlement Adds to Gulf Coast Science and Restoration Funding". Science News. Archived from the original on 10 March 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.</ref> In September 2014, Halliburton agreed to settle a large percentage of legal claims against them by paying $1.1 billion into a trust by way of three installments over two years.<ref name="HalliburtonDeepwater">"Halliburton to pay around $1.1 bn for US oil spill claims". Reuters. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.</ref> On 4 September 2014, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier ruled BP was guilty of gross negligence and willful misconduct under the Clean Water Act (CWA). He described BP's actions as "reckless", while he said Transocean's and Halliburton's actions were "negligent". He apportioned 67% of the blame for the spill to BP, 30% to Transocean, and 3% to Halliburton. BP issued a statement strongly disagreeing with the finding, and saying the court's decision would be appealed.<ref name="BPverdict">"BP found "grossly negligent' in Gulf of Mexico oil spill". New Orleans Sun. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.</ref>

On 8 December 2014, The US Supreme Court rejected BP's legal challenge to a compensation deal over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The settlement agreement had no cap, but BP initially estimated that it would pay roughly $7.8bn (£6.1bn) to compensate victims.<ref name="BP loses latest US oil spill appeal">"BP loses latest US oil spill appeal". BBC News. 8 December 2014.</ref>

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is cited by lawyers, academics and journalists as an example of ecocide.<ref>Weisbrod, Katelyn (22 June 2021). "As the Gulf of Mexico Heals from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Stringent Safety Proposals Remain Elusive". Inside Climate News. Retrieved 3 July 2023.</ref><ref>"Why criminalising ecocide won't solve the climate crisis". euronews. 13 March 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2023.</ref><ref>Gigova, Radina (2 July 2023). "Russia is accused of 'ecocide' in Ukraine. But what does that mean?". CNN. Retrieved 3 July 2023.</ref><ref>Sarliève, Maud (2020), Leal Filho, Walter; Azul, Anabela Marisa; Brandli, Luciana; Lange Salvia, Amanda (eds.), "Ecocide: Past, Present, and Future Challenges", Life on Land, Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 1–11, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-71065-5_110-1, ISBN 978-3-319-71065-5, S2CID 241216767, retrieved 3 July 2023</ref>

Film

The biographical disaster movie Deepwater Horizon, released in 2016, depicts the events of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil spill. The film is based on "Deepwater Horizon's Final Hours", an article appearing in The New York Times.<ref name="DH-FH-nyt" >Barstow, David; Rohde, David; Saul, Stephanie (25 December 2010). "Deepwater Horizon's Final Hours". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2017.</ref>

See also

• Ixtoc I oil spill
• Ocean Ranger
• Piper Alpha
• Tony Hayward

External links

• Transocean official website
• Deepwater Horizon detail at Transocean's website and at RigZone.com
• Photograph of Deepwater Horizon in 2004 at Geographic.org
• Griffitt, Michelle. "Initial Exploration Plan Mississippi Canyon Block 252 OCS-G 32306" (PDF). BP Exploration and Production. New Orleans, Louisiana: Minerals Management Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010.
• Washburn, Mark (14 May 2010). "A huff and boom ended Deepwater Horizon's good luck". The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010. – detailed media description of the events of the day of the Deepwater Horizon explosion (yahoo news mirror)
• Photo history of the fire and loss

Additional references explaining events

• BOEM reading room on Deepwater Horizon, including Freedom of Information publications
• Video explaining the events leading up to the Deepwater Horizon explosion and how it affected the region.