Global InformationDeepwater Horizon oil spill information
| Deepwater Horizon oil spill | |
|---|---|
 As seen from space by the Terra satellite on 24 May 2010 | |
 | |
| Location | Macondo Prospect (Mississippi Canyon Block 252), in the North-central Gulf of Mexico, United States (south of Louisiana) |
| Coordinates | 28°44′17″N 88°21′58″W / 28.73806°N 88.36611°W[1] |
| Date | 20 April – 19 September 2010 (4 months, 4 weeks and 2 days) |
| Cause | |
| Cause | Wellhead blowout |
| Casualties | 11 people killed 17 people injured |
| Operator | Transocean under contract for BP[2] |
| Spill characteristics | |
| Volume | 4.9 MMbbl (210,000,000 U.S. gal; 780,000 m3) ±10%[3] |
| Area | 2,500 to 68,000 sq mi (6,500 to 176,100 km2)[4] |
| This article is part of a series about the |
| Deepwater Horizon oil spill |
|---|
 |
|
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Frontline: The Spill (54:25), Frontline on PBS[5] |
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the "BP oil spill") was an environmental disaster which began on 20 April 2010, off the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect,[6][7][8][9] considered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry and estimated to be 8 to 31 percent larger in volume than the previous largest, the Ixtoc I oil spill, also in the Gulf of Mexico. Caused in the aftermath of a blowout and explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, the United States federal government estimated the total discharge at 4.9 MMbbl (210,000,000 US gal; 780,000 m3).[3] After several failed efforts to contain the flow, the well was declared sealed on 19 September 2010.[10] Reports in early 2012 indicated that the well site was still leaking.[11][12] The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is regarded as one of the largest environmental disasters in world history.
A massive response ensued to protect beaches, wetlands and estuaries from the spreading oil utilizing skimmer ships, floating booms, controlled burns and 1,840,000 US gal (7,000 m3) of oil dispersant.[13] Due to the months-long spill, along with adverse effects from the response and cleanup activities, extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats and fishing and tourism industries was reported.[14] In Louisiana, oil cleanup crews worked four days a week on 55 mi (89 km) of Louisiana shoreline throughout 2013. 4,900,000 lb (2,200 t) of oily material was removed from the beaches in 2013, over double the amount collected in 2012.[15] Oil continued to be found as far from the Macondo site as the waters off the Florida Panhandle and Tampa Bay, where scientists said the oil and dispersant mixture is embedded in the sand.[16] In April 2013, it was reported that dolphins and other marine life continued to die in record numbers with infant dolphins dying at six times the normal rate.[17] One study released in 2014 reported that tuna and amberjack exposed to oil from the spill developed deformities of the heart and other organs which would be expected to be fatal or at least life-shortening; another study found that cardiotoxicity might have been widespread in animal life exposed to the spill.[18][19]
Numerous investigations explored the causes of the explosion and record-setting spill. The United States Government report, published in September 2011, pointed to defective cement on the well, faulting mostly BP, but also rig operator Transocean and contractor Halliburton.[20][21] Earlier in 2011, a White House commission likewise blamed BP and its partners for a series of cost-cutting decisions and an inadequate safety system, but also concluded that the spill resulted from "systemic" root causes and "absent significant reform in both industry practices and government policies, might well recur".[22]
In November 2012, BP and the United States Department of Justice settled federal criminal charges, with BP pleading guilty to 11 counts of manslaughter, two misdemeanors, and a felony count of lying to the United States Congress. BP also agreed to four years of government monitoring of its safety practices and ethics, and the Environmental Protection Agency announced that BP would be temporarily banned from new contracts with the United States government. BP and the Department of Justice agreed to a record-setting $4.525 billion in fines and other payments.[23][24][25] As of 2018[update], cleanup costs, charges and penalties had cost the company more than $65 billion.[26][27]
In September 2014, a United States District Court judge ruled that BP was primarily responsible for the oil spill because of its gross negligence and reckless conduct.[28] In April 2016, BP agreed to pay $20.8 billion in fines, the largest environmental damage settlement in United States history.[29]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
AutoBB-1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
MHLwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
report2011was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "BP / Gulf Oil Spill – 68,000 Square Miles of Direct Impact" (Press release). SkyTruth.org. 27 July 2010. Archived from the original on 11 August 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2001.
- ^ "Frontline: The Spill". Frontline on PBS. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
- ^ Robertson, Campbell; Krauss, Clifford (2 August 2010). "Gulf Spill Is the Largest of Its Kind, Scientists Say". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
- ^ "BP leak the world's worst accidental oil spill". The Daily Telegraph. London. 3 August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
- ^ Jervis, Rick; Levin, Alan (27 May 2010). "Obama, in Gulf, pledges to push on stopping leak". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- ^ "Memorial service honors 11 dead oil rig workers". USA Today.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Aspresswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Jamail, Dahr (4 March 2012). "BP settles while Macondo 'seeps'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ^ "Rocky Kistner: The Macondo Monkey on BP's Back". Huffington Post. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
staff4was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
AutoBB-7was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Elliott, Debbie (21 December 2013). "For BP Cleanup, 2013 Meant 4.6 Million Pounds Of Oily Gunk". NPR.
- ^ "Oil from BP spill pushed onto shelf off Tampa Bay by underwater currents, study finds". Tampa Bay Times. 20 August 2013.
- ^ Viegas, Jen (2 April 2013). "Record Dolphin, Sea Turtle Deaths Since Gulf Spill". Archived from the original on 30 January 2016.
- ^ Sahagun, Louis (13 February 2014). "Toxins released by oil spills send fish hearts into cardiac arrest". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- ^ Wines, Michael (24 March 2014). "Fish Embryos Exposed to Oil From BP Spill Develop Deformities, a Study Finds". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
BOERMEPRwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
AutoBB-17was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
AutoBB-16was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
nyt151112was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
latimes290113was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
AutoBB-21was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Bousso, Ron (16 January 2018). "BP Deepwater Horizon costs balloon to $65 billion". Reuters. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ^ Ward, Andrew (1 May 2018). "BP hints at future dividend increases". Financial Times. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Times - barbier - 18 billionwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlements: Where the money went". NOAA. 20 April 2017.