UPDATE 2-Transocean to pay $1.4 bln for role in BP oil spill
Thu Jan 3, 2013 1:04pm EST
* Transocean owned rig that exploded in 2010
* Payment is less than company set aside
* Transocean shares rise more than 5 pct in midday trade
By David Ingram
WASHINGTON, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Transocean Ltd has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle U.S. government charges arising from BP Plc's massive 2010 Macondo oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The settlement unveiled by the Department of Justice includes $1 billion in civil penalties and $400 million in criminal penalties. The company had set aside a total of $1.95 billion in potential losses related to Macondo, including $1.5 billion for its anticipated settlement with the DoJ.
Shares of Transocean were up 7 percent at $49.50 on midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 0.1 percent.
"The bottom line to me is they now can put away the big black cloud that has been hanging over them," said Phil Weiss, an oil analyst at Argus. "I take this as a positive, even if the number is a little higher than I expected."
Switzerland-based Transocean owned the Deepwater Horizon rig that was drilling a mile-deep well when a surge of methane gas sparked an explosion on April 20, 2010. The explosion killed 11 men and led to one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history.
"This resolution of criminal allegations and civil claims against Transocean brings us one significant step closer to justice for the human, environmental and economic devastation wrought by the Deepwater Horizon disaster," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
BP and Transocean had "multiple safety management system deficiencies that contributed to the Macondo incident," and neither had adequate safety rules, according to a July 2012 report from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.
Transocean and BP disagreed on who was in charge of interpreting what is known as a negative pressure test, which could have alerted workers to the well's instability.
BP in November agreed to a settlement with the U.S. government worth $4.5 billion, including the largest criminal fine ever at $1.256 billion. The London-based oil company also agreed to plead guilty to obstruction of Congress, a felony.
New York-traded shares of BP were up more than 2 percent in early afternoon trading.
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Sind auch noch Ansprüche von BP an Transocean möglich? Meines Wissens hat Transocean bislang alles abgeblockt was BP betrifft.
... und das Feld vor Norwegen macht glücklich...
Published: Jan. 3, 2013 at 9:28 AM
AdvertisementLONDON, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- The start of production at the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea marks the beginning of important regional activity for BP, a BP managing director said.
BP announced it started production from the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea. The company estimated the field contains at least 100 million barrels of oil and more than 1.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
"Skarv will be a very important hub for BP in Norway, contributing significantly to our production growth from Norway and representing an important new source of gas to Europe," Rebecca Wiles, BP Norway managing director, said in a statement.
BP said field development includes a floating production, storage and offloading vessel built specially for the rough waters of the Norwegian Sea. A 50-mile pipeline connects to a regional grid, which allows for exports to the European market.
BP Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley said the Norwegian field represents an "operational milestone" for the company. BP expects production from Skarv to reach a maximum rate of 165,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by the end of the year. |
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