2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill

 The Deepwater Horizon was a 9-year-old semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit owned by Transocean(one of the world's largest drilling contractors) operated under the Marshallese Flag of Convenience and was under lease to BP from March 2008 to September 2013

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (also referred to as the BP Oil Spill, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the BP oil disaster, or the Macondo blowout) is an Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.

On April 20, 2010 at 9.45 P.M, high pressure methane gas from the well expanded into the drilling riser and was released onto the drilling rig, where it ignited and exploded, engulfing the drilling rig.Efforts by multiple ships to douse the flames were unsuccessful. After burning for approximately 36 hours, the Deepwater Horizon sank on the morning of April 22, 2010

 

The explosion killed 11 men working on the platform and injured 17 others.

On July 15, 2010, the leak was stopped by capping the gushing Wellhead  after it had released about 4.9 million barrels (780,000 m³) of Crude Oil. 

The spill caused extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats and to the Gulf's Fishing and Tourism Industries.About 491 miles (790 kilometers) of coastline in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida remained contaminated by BP oil.BP admitted that it made mistakes which led to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. In June 2010 BP set up a $20 billion fund to compensate victims of the oil spill.

BP  has agreed to settle lawsuits from thousands of fishermen who lost work and others who claimed they were harmed by the oil giant’s 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster, in the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. 

The oil giant said Friday Marc 2,2012 it expects to pay out at least 7.8 billion dollars as part of the settlement. It says it expects the money to come from the $20 billion compensation fund that it previously set out. 

About 92,000 claimants had been paid or approved for payment as of 30 October 2010.By November, BP said it had sent $1.7 billion in checks.