Anadarko Petroleum Ordered To Pay $159.5 Mln For 2010 Gulf Spill

(RTTNews) - Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC) was ordered to pay $159.5 million for its role as part-owner of the doomed Gulf of Mexico well that in 2010 caused the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

The order Monday comes after the government asked U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans that the company should be fined more than $1 billion for its role in the well's blowout, which killed 11 people and spewed oil for almost three months.

Anadarko, which had a 25 percent stake in the Macondo well, said that it is pleased that the penalty is far less than the amount sought by the government. Today's ruling clearly showed that the Court gave significant weight to its previous findings that as a non-operating investor in the Macondo Well, the company had no role in the events that caused the tragic 2010 spill, and bear no fault.

"While we respect the Court's decision, we continue to believe that penalizing a non-operator for events beyond its control is inconsistent with the intent of the Clean Water Act. We are carefully evaluating our appellate options. However, today's ruling is significant because it removes the uncertainty about the extent of our potential Deepwater Horizon liability," Anadarko said.

BP plc (BP.L, BP_UN.TO, BP) agreed in July to pay $5.5 billion in pollution fines as a part of a $20.8 billion settlement with the U.S. and five Gulf states.

BP plc, the British oil company responsible for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, would pay $20.8 billion for damages caused by the oil spill, Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced in October 2015.

The Deepwater Horizon rig that was drilling the Macondo well sank two days after the April 20, 2010 explosion and led to an oil spill of millions of gallons that impacted beaches and the fishing sector.

The well was finally capped nearly three months later on July 15, 2010. The spill is considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.

The disaster sparked thousands of lawsuits against BP, as well as rig owner Transocean Ltd (RIG) and Halliburton Co (HAL). The two rig owners were also found to be negligent in the phase I trial, however, they were not as responsible as BP.