The oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, which was owned and operated by Transocean and drilling for BP, operating in the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded and sank. In 87 days following the explosion, approximately 210,000,000 gallons of oil were spilled around 68,000 square miles of the Gulf before finally being capped on July 15, 2010. It is the largest spill of oil in the history of marine oil drilling in the United States.—(EPA)
Date of event: April 20, 2010
Impact:
- 11 fatalities; 16 injured
- Record-setting settlement with BP Exploration & Production for an unprecedented $5.5 billion Clean Water Act penalty and up to $8.8 billion in natural resource damages.
Related Resources:
- Executive Order 13543: National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
- Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Preliminary Assessment of Federal Financial Risks and Cost Reimbursement and Notification Policies and Procedures, Briefing for Congressional Requesters
- Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Update on Federal Financial Risks and Claims Processing
HSDL Featured Topic: Maritime Domain
HSDL Search: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Photo: Anchor handling tugs and platform supply vessels combat the fire on the Deepwater Horizon while the U.S. Coast Guard searches for missing crew. (Credit: U.S. Coast Guard)