BP puts spill bill at door of Halliburton
BP yesterday launched legal action in a bid to make contractor Halliburton cough up the estimated $42bn (£26bn) paid out in compensation and expenses for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster.
Halliburton cemented the failed well that caused the United States’ biggest offshore spill.
In a US court filing, BP said it was suing to recover costs and expenses from cleaning up the oil spill, lost profits, and “all other costs and damages incurred by BP related to the Deepwater Horizon incident and resulting oil spill.”
The company did not put a figure on how much it expected Halliburton to pay.
BP and Halliburton are locked in a protracted a legal battle with a trial expected to begin in February to settle damages claims.
The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig in April 2010 killed 11 workers and spewed more than 4m barrels of oil into the Gulf. It has triggered series of lawsuits as companies jostle to avoid blame for the disaster.
Last month, Cameron International agreed a $250m settlement with BP to help pay for costs associated with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, raising hopes that deals between the British oil firm and two other contractors could follow.
BP also remains in legal action with Transocean, the owner and operator of the Deepwater Horizon rig.