BP Oil Spill Timeline

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.
uk
8/9/12 1:15 PM
BP oil spill timeline

Follow our step-by-step timeline of the BP oil spill, from the construction of Deepwater Horizon to date
Guardian research guardian.co.uk, Thursday 22 July 2010 05.25 EDT
A bird covered in oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill struggles to climb on to a boom in Barataria Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP
December 1998 Construction begins on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in Ulsan, South Korea, by Hyundai Heavy Industries Shipyard. February 2001 The rig is delivered and valued at more than $560m. 20 April 2010 Explosion and fire on the BP-licensed Transocean drilling rig Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. Eleven people are reported missing and approximately 17 injured. A blowout preventer, intended to prevent release of crude oil, failed to activate. Deepwater Horizon oil rig fire leaves 11 missing 22 April Deepwater Horizon rig sinks in 5,000ft of water. Reports of a five-mile-long oil slick. Search-and-rescue operations by the US National Response Team begin. 23 April The US coast guard suspends the search for missing workers, who are all presumed
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/29/bp-oil-spill-timeline-deepwater-horizon
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BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk
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dead. The rig is found upside down about a quarter-mile from the blowout preventer. A homeland security department risk analysis says the incident "poses a negligible risk to regional oil supply markets and will not cause significant national economic impacts". White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says: "I doubt this is the first accident that has happened and I doubt it will be the last." Deepwater Horizon clean-up workers fight to prevent disaster 24 April Oil is found to be leaking from the well. A homeland security report on critical infrastructure says the problem has "no near-term impact to regional or national crude oil or natural gas supplies." 25 April US coast guard remote underwater cameras report the well is leaking 1,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd). It approves a plan for remote underwater vehicles to activate a blowout preventer and stop the leak. Underwater robots try to seal well 26 April BP's shares fall 2% amid fears that the cost of cleanup and legal claims will hit the London-based company hard. Roughly 15,000 gallons of dispersants and 21,000ft of containment boom are placed at the spill site. 27 April The US departments of interior and homeland security announce plans for a joint investigation of the explosion and fire. The coast guard announces it will set fire to the leaking crude to slow the spread of oil in the Gulf. Oil spill to be set on fire to save US coast Minerals Management Service (MMS) approves a plan for two relief wells. The homeland department's infrastructure and risk analysis centre reports: "Release of crude oil, natural gas and diesel fuel poses a high risk of environmental contamination in the Gulf of Mexico." BP reports a rise in profits, due in large part to oil price increases, as shares rise again. BP profits jump after oil price rise In pictures: fire on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig 28 April The coast guard says the flow of oil is 5,000bpd, five times greater than first estimated, after a third leak is discovered. Gulf oil spill 'five times' larger than estimated Controlled burns begin on the giant oil slick.
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BP's attempts to repair a hydraulic leak on the blowout preventer valve are unsuccessful. 29 April President Obama talks about the spill at the White House, his first public comments on the issue. He pledges "every single available resource", including the US military, to contain the spreading spill, and also says BP is responsible for the cleanup. Louisiana declares a state of emergency due to the threat to the state's natural resources, as the oil slick approaches land. Deepwater Horizon oil slick to hit US coast within hours Oil spill approaches Gulf coast, threatening economy and environment BP's shares plummet as the crisis continues. 30 April An Obama aide says no drilling will be allowed in new areas until the cause of the Deepwater Horizon accident is established. US bans new drilling in Gulf of Mexico The US justice department announces that a team of lawyers is monitoring the spill. Safety inspections of all 30 deepwater drilling rigs and 47 deepwater production platforms are ordered. BP chairman Tony Hayward says the company will take full responsibility for the spill, paying for all legitimate claims and the cost for the cleanup. Conservationists warn of impending disaster for wildlife in the area of the spill. Conservationists warn of 'true catastrophe' for wildlife Interactive graphic: species under threat 1 May The coast guard announces the leak will affect the Gulf shore. 2 May US officials close areas affected by the spill to fishing for an initial period of 10 days. Obama visits the Gulf coast to see cleanup efforts first hand. Barack Obama flies to Louisiana as BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill spreads BP starts to drill a relief well alongside the failed well. An additional 30 vessels and 1,000 responders are deployed to the Gulf coast. BP's efforts to contain the leak 4 May BP executives face Congress in a closed session, as the White House backs a Senate proposal to increase the limit on liability payouts from $75m to $10bn (6.5bn) for the cost of a spill.
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Deepwater Horizon oil spill sparks calls for $10bn levy on BP and drilling ban 5 May BP successfully attaches a valve to the end of the broken drilling pipe at the Macondo well in a bid to end the flow of oil into the US Gulf. BP says one of the three leaks has been shut off by capping a valve, but that would not reduce the amount of oil gushing out. Officials conduct controlled burns to remove oil from the open water. BP stems one of three Deepwater Horizon oil leaks, US coast guard says The White House attempts to limit the political fallout by documenting actions taken since the leak began. Obama attempts to limit political fallout In pictures: Deepwater Horizon oil spill closes in on US coastline 6 May BP confirms the arrival of three huge containment domes designed to collect much of the 5,000bpd leaking into the US Gulf from the Macondo blowout. Containment dome reaches Gulf oil spill scene The department of justice asks Transocean to preserve evidence in connection with the explosion and sinking of the rig. Toxic pink oily seawater washes ashore on the Chandeleur Islands off the Louisiana coast, an important nesting and breeding area for many bird species. Hayward tells the BBC that the blowout preventer owned by Transocean was at fault for the leak. BP, he said, "will be judged not on the basis of an accident that, you know, frankly was not our accident". Analysts put the cost of the spill for BP at 15bn. BP 'facing 15bn loss' over Gulf of Mexico oil spill 7 May BP engineers use undersea robots to move the containment chamber over the larger of the two remaining leaks on the seabed. This containment method has never before been attempted at such a depth. Efforts to close valves on a failed blowout preventer with underwater robots are abandoned. Deepwater team attempts to put 100-tonne box over blown-out oil well Video recreation of cofferdam method A fishing ban for federal waters off the Gulf is extended to 17 May. 8 May BP's containment dome hits a snag when a buildup of crystallised gas forces engineers to postpone efforts to place the chamber over the oil leak and draw the oil to the surface.
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Quick fix dashed as BP tower fails to contain oil A BP report blames the explosion on a methane bubble. Blast triggered by methane bubble, report shows Tar balls suspected to come from the leak wash up along a half-mile stretch of Dauphin Island, Alabama. 9 May BP says it might try to plug the undersea leak by pumping materials such as shredded tyres and golf balls into the well at high pressure, a method called a "junk shot". Plugging the leak 10 May BP announces plans to place a small containment dome, known as a "top hat", over the blown-out well to funnel oil to the surface, as Hayward holds a press conference. BP press conference live 11 May At a hearing before the Senate committee on energy and natural resources, representatives of the three oil companies involved in the Deepwater drilling blame each other for the accident. Halliburton, which cemented BP's well, claims to have met BP's stated requirements for the task and cites the failure of Transocean's blowout preventer. Transocean's CEO says the blowout preventer was successfully tested a week before the accident; he also blames BP and Halliburton for the inadequate cementing believed to have led to the explosion. BP's president says that Transocean, as owner/operator of the drilling rig, is responsible for safety. Gulf oil spill hearing - as it happened 12 May After the failure of the four-storey-high dome to draw oil from the major leak, BP lowers a five-foot-high dome to attempt to cover the smaller leak. The congressional hearing is told BP, Halliburton and Transocean ignored safety warnings in the hours before the Deepwater explosion. Firms ignored warning signs before blast, inquiry hears 13 May Steve Wereley, a researcher at Purdue University, tells the press he believes the well is leaking 70,000 bpd. BP releases underwater footage of the effort to stem the leak. First underwater video footage of oil leak The New York Times reports that "a half-dozen current and former agency scientists" for the Minerals Management Service (MMS) claim they were "regularly pressured by
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agency officials to change the findings of their internal studies if they predicted that an accident was likely to occur or if wildlife might be harmed". The article states that the MMS has allowed hundreds of drilling projects without obtaining legally required permits. US said to allow drilling without needed permits 14 May BP plans to insert a 4in-tube into the ruptured 21in riser pipe that would take the oil to the surface. If that fails, they will use the small containment dome that has already been lowered. Both methods are intended to reduce, not to stop, the leak. BP using undersea robots to try to plug Gulf oil leak BP boss admits job on the line over Gulf oil spill Obama complains: "I did not appreciate what I considered to be a ridiculous spectacle during the congressional hearings into this matter. You had executives of BP and Transocean and Halliburton falling over each other to point the finger of blame at somebody else it is pretty clear that the system failed, and it failed badly." 16 May The tube begins to draw oil to the surface. The volume of oil travelling through the tube is gradually increased to avoid the hydrate formation that doomed the large containment dome. Submerged oil plumes suggest gulf spill is worse than BP claims 18 May Obama plans to establish an independent commission to investigate the oil leak, according to an anonymous administration official. As the spill continues to spread, the no fishing zone is doubled to 19% of the Gulf waters. Atlantic coast now under threat as current spreads Gulf oil slick 20 May BP reports that the amount of oil drawn off by the tube has increased to 5,000 bpd. Given that BP had previously estimated the entire leak at 5,000 bpd and the tube only draws off a fraction of the spill, the leak must be much larger than previously estimated. Experts testifying at the congressional hearing put the figure at 20,000-100,000 barrels per day. How big is the slick from BP's Deepwater Horizon? 24 May The tube inserted into the leaking pipe captures much less oil than expected. BP admits Deepwater rescue is capturing less oil 26 May
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BP pumps thousands of barrels of mud into the well in an attempt to plug the leak. The process, known as top kill, fails to overcome the flow of oil. A White House leak shows Obama ended a briefing with the terse command: "Plug the damn hole." White House leak reveals Barack Obama's reaction to news of oil spill 30 May Hayward causes outrage after telling reporters, "There's no one who wants this over more than I do. I would like my life back." BP's clumsy response to oil spill threatens to make a bad situation worse 1 June US launches a criminal investigation into the oil spill. BP could face ban as US launches criminal investigation 2 June Titanic director James Cameron assists the clean-up process. James Cameron enters fight against oil spill 3 June BP begins an advertising campaign in the US aimed at boosting opinion. Hayward features in the first. America's toughest job: fronting BP's television commercials BP faces political flack over its decision to pay out more than $10bn (6.8bn) in dividends to shareholders, despite the deepening crisis. BP to go ahead with $10bn shareholder payout 4 June Attempts to place a cap over the valves that were meant to prevent the rig from leaking show signs of success. BP shares top risers as engineers assess latest oil spill operation 6 June BP announces the containment cap is capturing 10,000 barrels of oil a day; approximately half the total amount being leaked. BP capturing '10,000 barrels of oil' a day from Gulf of Mexico 7 June The widows of two of the oil rig workers give testimony before a congressional committee. Deepwater Horizon widow asks: how do I tell my children their father is dead?
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8 June In an interview on NBC Obama says he would have sacked BP's chief executive if he had been working for him. 'If he was working for me I'd sack him' Obama turns up heat on BP boss 11 June David Cameron calls BP's chairman, Carl-Henric Svanberg, to a meeting at Downing Street to discuss the oil disaster. David Cameron caught between Tory right and Obama 12 June Scientists double their estimate of the scale of the spill to 40,000 barrels a day. Scale of BP oil leak revised up to 40,000 barrels a day 14 June Obama compares the BP oil spill to 9/11. Barack Obama compares oil spill to 9/11 15 June Fitch ratings agency cuts BP's credit rating as the cost of the spill continues to escalate. BP credit rating slashed as oil spill costs mount 16 June BP agrees to a $20bn (13.5bn) downpayment towards compensation for victims of the oil spill. Barack Obama's pound of flesh: $20bn compensation and no BP dividends Actor Kevin Costner provides the clean-up operation with oil-water separation machines he developed with his brother. Kevin Costner's oil-water separation machines help with clean-up 17 June Hayward is accused by members of the US Congress of "stonewalling" after failing to answer a series of questions about the spill's causes. Tony Hayward stonewalls Congress 18 June BP's credit rating is downgraded by Moody's after expressing concern at the escalating cost of the cleanup and the potential cost of litigation claims. BP credit rating downgraded after Tony Hayward's grilling by Congress 19 June
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One of BP's partners, Anadarko Petroleum, refuses to accept any responsibility for the Deepwater Horizon explosion despite owning a quarter of the well. Its chief executive, Jim Hackett, says BP's actions probably amounted to "gross negligence or wilful misconduct". BP oil spill caused by 'negligence or misconduct', says drilling partner 20 June Photographs of Hayward attending a yacht race on the Isle of Wight with his son cause anger in the US. BP chief's weekend sailing trip stokes anger at oil company 21 June A Deepwater Horizon worker claims that the oil rig was leaking several weeks before it exploded. Deepwater Horizon worker claims oil rig leaking weeks before explosion 22 June Hayward fails to make an appearance at a gathering of the oil industry on the same day that control of the oil disaster passes to American Bob Dudley. Greenpeace protesters storm the stage during his replacement's speech. BP's beleaguered Tony Hayward disappears from view Protesters disrupt BP speech as Tony Hayward pulls out 23 June An accident puts BP's oil cap out of action, allowing oil to flow unhindered for several hours. Gulf oil spill flow increases after accident forces BP to remove cap 25 June BP shares hit a 14-year low of 304p after the clean-up bill reaches $2.35bn. BP share slide as oil spill bill climbs to $2.35bn 28 June Russia's top energy official says he expects Hayward to step down soon. BP denies he is close to resigning. Tony Hayward set to step down, Russian official claims The Guardian publishes a letter from 171 artists, critics and writers complaining about BP's sponsorship of Tate Britain. Curators, crude oil and an outdated cultural mix Protesters disrupt Tate Britain's party celebrating 10 years of BP sponsorship, throwing molasses over the steps of the gallery.
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Art activists take on the Tate crowd over BP 30 June Hurricane Alex causes heavy seas, disrupting BP's clean-up efforts. First hurricane of season hits BP oil spill clean-up 5 July BP announces the cost of the oil spill has now risen to over $3bn. The company asks its partners, Anadarko and Mitsui Oil Exploration, to contribute almost $400m. BP asks oil spill partners to pay $400m 6 July BP's share price rises as speculation mounts that the company is looking for international investors. BP shares rise on hopes of international rescue 7 July There are more than 27,000 abandoned oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico from a host of companies including BP, according to an investigation by Associated Press, which describes the area as 'an environmental minefield that has been ignored for decades'. Some of them date back to the 1940s. State officials estimate that tens of thousands of them are badly sealed.
Abandoned oil wells make Gulf of Mexico 'environmental minefield' 9 July A US appeals court rejects the federal government's effort to restore an offshore deepwater drilling moratorium, opening the door to resumed drilling in the Gulf of Mexico while the legal fight continues. The same appeals court is expected to hear arguments on the merits of the moratorium case in late August or early September. US appeals court opens door to new drilling in Gulf of Mexico 11 July BP begin their latest attempt to seal the leak. Robots remove a leaking cap from the well, to allow a replacement containment system to be installed. BP begins new operation to seal off leaking Deepwater Horizon well 12 July With the latest attempt to stem the leak reportedly going well, BP shares rise. BP shares rise as Deepwater Horizon well repairs progress 'as planned' A commission appointed by Obama to uncover the cause of the oil spill is told of "friction" between BP and Transocean, the operator of the Deepwater Horizon.
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Barack Obama's investigation hears of 'friction' 13 July BP successfully installs a new, more tightly fitting containment cap on the ruptured wellhead. The next step is to test the internal pressure in the well to establish whether the flow has been stopped. New cap 'successfully installed' on leaking well 15 July Hillary Clinton pledges to looks into claims BP lobbied for the release of the Lockerbie bomber. BP faces Lockerbie allegations BP stops the flow of oil for the first time in 87 days, raising hopes that it could be sealed off for good. The company says it will have to monitor the cap for 48 hours before it can be sure it will hold. BP stops oil leak in Gulf of Mexico for first time since April 19 July Fears about the new cap are raised after engineers detect seepage and a possible methane gas leak on the seabed. Admiral Thad Allen, who is in charge of the US government's response, has written to BP demanding answers to "undetermined anomalies at the wellhead". BP has yet to respond. Shares in BP fall more than 5% on the news. BP oil cap may not have stopped leak BP shares lead FTSE 100 lower on new spill worries David Cameron agrees to meet four US senators to discuss concerns that BP lobbied the British government ahead of the decision to release the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, last year. The prime minister, who is embarking on a US visit, had previously stated that his schedule was too full to include a meeting. Cameron to discuss Megrahi's release with US senators 20 July Allen grants BP a further 24 hours to test the new containment cap, but warns that the government may insist on reopening the well if concerns over seepage intensify. US gives BP 24 hours to monitor capped oil well 21 July BP admits to using Photoshop to exaggerate the level of activity at the Gulf oil spill command centre. The picture, posted on the company's website, shows staff monitoring 10 giant video screens. In reality, three of the screens were blank. BP admits using Photoshop to exaggerate oil spill command centre activity
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David Cameron warns US legislators not to single out BP over oil damages. In an interview on ABC television he argues: "Would it be right to have legislation that independently targets BP rather than other companies? I don't think that would be right ... Would it be right to say that BP has to pay compensation for damages that were nothing to do directly with the spill? I don't think that would be right" Don't single out BP over oil damages, David Cameron warns US 23 July The tropical storm Bonnie forces BP to temporarily suspend drilling on its relief well. The 65 ships involved in the disaster response are leaving the site after the storm, which formed over the Bahamas, was predicated to reach the area by the weekend. Tropical storm Bonnie forces BP to suspend relief well drilling 23 July It is revealed that the Deepwater Horizon alarms were switched off at the time of the explosion to allow workers to sleep undisturbed. Deepwater Horizon alarms were switched off 'to help workers sleep' 25 July As the storm passes, crews return to the site in order to finish work on relief wells before the hurricane season starts. Efforts to plug BP oil leak resume after storm passes 26 July The BP chief executive, Tony Hayward, is to leave the company, to be replaced by Bob Dudley, a BP veteran overseeing the clean-up. Tony Hayward to quit BP 27 July As BP plunges into the red, the company is to to book a $10bn (6.5bn) tax credit against the costs of cleaning up the oil spill and is making a provision of $32.2bn towards it. Part of the bill will be picked up by UK and US taxpayers. BP oil spill: taxpayers face clean-up costs 27 July Greenpeace activists close 46 BP garages in central London in a move to force the company to become greener. Safety switches at the pumps were stolen in order to close them down, action that BP called "childish and irresponsible". BP petrol stations have pumps closed by Greenpeace activists 28 July Tony Hayward points out that he will be too busy to attend a Senate hearing. He told journalists: "I have got a busy week [in the office]". BP said it would send another representative to testify at the hearing.
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Tony Hayward's parting shot: 'I'm too busy to attend Senate hearing'" 29 July Shell refuses to rule out pursuing BP for damages. It suffered a $56m (36m) loss because of the moratorium on drilling in the US imposed in the wake of the disaster. Shell could pursue BP for Gulf damages 1 August BP offers one-off lump sum payments to claimants who waive their right to sue the company in an attempt to stem the tide of compensation claims arising from the Gulf oil spill. BP offers one-off payouts to stem Gulf oil spill lawsuits 2 August BP will attempt to stem the flow of oil with a 'static kill' in the next 24 hours. The procedure involves pumping heavy drilling mud and cement into the well. BP 'static kill' due in next 24 hours 3 August A whistleblower group reveals scientists within the US Environmental Protection Agency raised concerns with superiors over a chemical dispersant approved for use in the Gulf. BP sprayed almost 2m gallons of Corexit on the slick and at the leak site on the seabed. Obama administration's scientists admit alarm over chemicals Texan oil company Anadarko Petroleum, which owns 25% of the Macondo well, is expected to reveal it has been billed $1bn (630m) by BP so far for its share of cleaning up the oil spill. Japanese company Mitsui, which owns 10%, has been billed $480m. BP charges well partner Anadarko $1bn for its share of oil spill clean up 4 August BP says the 'static kill' attempt to stop the oil leak has been successful, though more mud may still have to be pumped into the well to close it permanently. BP says 'static kill' has successfully plugged oil well Legislation introduced into the Senate by Democrats to cap oil spill compensation claims at $75m has been stopped because there wasn't enough support from within the party. Oil spill damages legislation thwarted in Senate by Democrats BP says the 'static kill' attempt to stop the oil leak has been successful, though more mud may still have to be pumped into the well to close it permanently. BP oil spill mostly cleaned up, says US The US government announces that the majority of oil from the BP spill has been
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cleaned up. BP oil spill mostly cleaned up, says US 5 August The White House is accused of spinning a report about the amount of oil cleaned up from the Gulf Oil spill. Experts labelled their estimation that the vast majority of the oil had been removed as far too optimistic. Gulf oil spill: White House accused of spinning report BP pumps cement into the blown-out well to permanently seal the leak. BP pumps cement into blown-out oil well to seal it for good 6 August BP suggests it may return for oil to the, recently leaking, Macondo well. Obama's administration responds by saying such a decision would have to be made by well licensing authorities, rather than BP. The exchange is the latest in an ongoing struggle between BP and the US government.
BP risks Obama row by hinting it may return to stricken oil well 11 August BP suspends drilling of relief well to allow a tropical storm, believed to be heading for the Gulf of Mexico, to pass.
Tropical storm forces BP to halt relief well drilling 15 August Barack Obama goes for a swim with his daughter in the Gulf sea. BP oil spill: Barack Obama dives into safety debate with Gulf of Mexico swim It is revealed that BP has yet to update its oil spill emergency plan more than three months after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded. Errors include the identification of the sea walrus as an animal in need of protection, despite there being none in the Gulf, and the listing of a wildlife expert who died four years before the plan was approved. BP yet to update emergency plan three months after Deepwater Horizon spill 16 August The Obama administration calls for environmental reviews for all new deepwater oil drilling. The announcement comes after a report revealed that BP received environmental exemptions based on outdated data. US government calls for new laws to halt repeat of deepwater oil spill 19 August
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Bill Lehr, a senior scientist at the NOAA, disputes White House claims that the worst of the oil spill is over, claiming that three-quarters of the oil remains in the Gulf environment. Under questioning at a Congress committee hearing, Lehr contradicted an earlier report in which he had stated that most of the oil had been cleaned up. US scientist retracts assurances over success of cleanup 25 August BP's poor reputation, following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, forces it to pull out of a bid to drill in the Arctic.
BP frozen out of Arctic oil drilling race 26 August BP's share price begins to rise after a positive investment report from Credit Suisse. BP boosted as FTSE 100 recovers from seven week low 3 September BP announces it is a fortnight away from permanently sealing the Deepwater Horizon oil well leak. BP: Deepwater Horizon oil well will be permanently sealed 'in two weeks' 7 September The world's smallest seahorse faces extinction following the BP oil spill. The Zoological Society of London's seahorse team warns that the destruction of so much of the dwarf seahorses' habitat could lead to a dangerous drop in population levels. World's smallest seahorse faces extinction after BP oil spill 8 September BP releases its own report into the Deepwater oil spill, in which it accepts some responsibility for the disaster, but claims that other companies must bear some of the blame. BP oil spill report as it happened The company recognises its failure to spot warning signs hours before the explosion. Gulf oil disaster: BP admits missing warning signs hours before blast 16 September BP falls out of a major marketing consultancy's list of the top 100 brands. The fallout from the Deepwater Horizon spill led to BP being left off Interbrand's index for the first time in 11 years. BP falls out of index of top 100 brands after Deepwater Horizon oil spill 19 September
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BP finally seals off the ruptured well. Five months after Deepwater Horizon blew, a cement plug leaves it "effectively dead". Five months after BP oil rig disaster, US government declares well 'dead' 20 September BP's clean-up costs following the explosion of Deepwater Horizon nears $10bn (6.4bn) BP oil spill cost hits nearly $10bn The day after it is confirmed that the leaking well has been successfully and permanently plugged, shares in BP rise by 8p. The US campaign group Public Citizen also calls off its boycott of BP, and some analysts predict that the company's legal costs could be well below the 13bn it has set aside. Gulf oil spill: investors cheered as fears over BP's future dissipate 23 September Scientists estimate that a total of 4.4m barrels of oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico during the nearly three months the well leaked. BP spill released 4.4m barrels of oil into the ocean, study finds 28 September A Whitehouse commission appointed to investigate the spill criticises the government for under-estimating the spill's seriousness. Barack Obama under fire for grossly underestimating Gulf oil spill 1 October Bob Dudley takes over as chief executive of BP following the departure of Tony Hayward. Dudley: the quiet American restoring oil firm's fortunes 7 October White House report finds that government scientists were blocked by Obama administration from reporting the full extent of BP oil spill in the early stages. White House blocked and put spin on scientists' warnings 10 October BP announces that its external safety ombudsman, put in place after the fatal explosion at its Texas City refinery in 2005, will stop taking complaints after June 2011. BP plans to close its US safety watchdog 12 October The Obama administration's six-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling operations ends. Environmental groups express concern over the decision, while supporters of offshore drilling dismiss the announcement, arguing that the moratorium
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is effectively still in place due to continuing uncertainty over new drilling regulations. US drops oil drilling moratorium 29 October BP and Halliburton accused of not taking proper measures which could have prevented Deepwater Horizon explosion. BP and Halliburton knew of Gulf oil well cement flaws 2 November BP increases the estimated total cost of the oil spill to $40bn, $7.7bn more than previously expected. BP oil spill costs to hit $40bn 9 November Chair of US commission is scathing about the safety regime on board the Deepwater Horizon. US oil spill inquiry chief slams BP 11 November Ex-BP boss says when oil spill hit, BP was forced to make up disaster response as it went along Tony Hayward: Public saw us as 'fumbling and incompetent' 12 November Greenland wants upfront payment to cover major oil spills in wake of BP's Gulf of Mexico disaster Greenland wants $2bn bond from oil firms keen to drill in its Arctic waters 24 November Ken Feinberg expects to pay out only $2.3bn in emergency claims over Gulf of Mexico oil spill from $20bn fund Half of BP oil spill damages claims 'inadequate', says payout chief 25 November Tar balls discovered in shrimping net seven months after BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill Section of Gulf of Mexico closed to shrimpers after tar balls found 15 December The US government files a suit against BP and several of its partners in the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. The action, which could potentially cost BP billions in legal costs, accuses the company of violating safety regulations and seeks unlimited damages to cover the cost of cleaning up the oil, losses suffered by local businesses and harm caused
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to the environment. United States sues BP over Gulf oil disaster 16 December A US embassy cable released by Wikileaks reveals that, 18 months before the Deepwater Horizon disaster, BP suffered a similar blowout in Azerbaijan. BP suffered blowout on Azerbaijan gas platform 6 January 2011 The White House oil commission concludes that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the result of systematic management failure at BP, Transocean and Halliburton. BP cost-cutting blamed for 'avoidable' Deepwater Horizon oil spill
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BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

BP oil spill timeline | Environment | guardian.co.uk

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