Oil Rig Owner to Pay $1.4B Over Gulf Spill

Transocean settles with US over Deepwater Horizon disaster
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 3, 2013 4:40 PM CST
Oil Rig Owner to Pay $1.4B Over Gulf Spill
In this April 21, 2010, aerial photo, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig burns in the Gulf of Mexico.   (Gerald Herbert)

The Justice Department reached a $1.4 billion settlement today with Transocean Ltd., the owner of the drilling rig that sank after an explosion killed 11 workers and spawned the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed settlement resolves the department's civil and criminal probes of Transocean's role in the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster. It requires the Switzerland-based company to pay $1 billion in civil penalties and $400 million in criminal penalties and plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of violating the Clean Water Act, according to a court filing.

The deal, which is subject to a federal judge's approval, also calls for Transocean to implement a series of operational safety and emergency response improvements on its rigs. Much of the $1.4 billion will fund environmental restoration projects and spill-prevention research and training. BP, which leased the rig from Transocean, already has agreed to pay a record $4.5 billion in penalties and plead guilty to manslaughter and other criminal charges related to the spill. The deal with BP doesn't resolve the federal government's civil claims against the London-based oil company. (More Transocean stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X