Gulf rig disaster case is delayed

The US court case over the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster has been delayed for a week after a judge heard that BP was making some progress in settlement talks.

The US court case over the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster has been delayed for a week after a judge heard that BP was making some progress in settlement talks.

A special committee is supervising lawsuits filed by individuals and businesses following the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20, 2010, in the Gulf. The blast killed 11 workers and injured 17, and led to 206 million gallons of oil being pumped into the sea.

The brief order delaying the start of the case, issued by US District Judge Carl Barbier, said only that it was “for reasons of judicial efficiency and to allow the parties to make further progress in their settlement discussions.”

Among other things, the trial that is now set to begin on March 5 is meant to determine the penalties that need to be paid by BP and other companies involved in the oil spill. Billions of dollars are at stake.

BP and the Plaintiffs Steering Committee said they were working to reach an agreement that would “fairly compensate people and businesses affected by the Deepwater Horizon accident and oil spill.”

“There can be no assurance that these discussions will lead to a settlement agreement,” a joint statement said.

Separately, BP has had discussions in recent days with the federal government and cement contractor Halliburton.

If no settlement is reached, Judge Barbier will preside over a three-phase trial that could last the better part of a year. The first phase is designed to identify the causes of the deadly blow-out and to assign percentages of fault to the companies involved in the ill-fated drilling project.

Financial analysts estimate BP could wind up paying up to $30bn (€22bn) over the lawsuits.

The trial may not yield major revelations about the causes of the disaster, but the outcome could bring much-needed relief for tens of thousands of people and businesses whose livelihoods were disrupted by the spill.

Relatives of the 11 killed in the Deepwater Horizon blast say they are hoping for something more elusive: justice for lost loved ones.

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