The equivalent of 16 Exxon Valdez tankers spilled into the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, a court heard yesterday.
Lawyers for those affected by the 2010 disaster, which killed 11 people, said 5million barrels worth of oil escaped from the blown out well, with 4.2million of that pouring into the gulf.
Steven O’Rourke, representing the plaintiffs in the case – who include the US Government and states along the Gulf of Mexico coast – told the court “about 16 Exxon Valdezes” spilled into the ocean.
The claim came as the trial continued over the 2010 Macondo disaster, with the focus on evidence now turning to the amount of oil spilled into the Gulf as a result.
US District Judge Carl Barbier is set to hear three weeks of expert testimony from both BP and US Government experts on the amount of oil that was discharged – which will be a key factor in determining the size of fine the British oil giant faces for the disaster.
Companies found in breach of the Clean Water Act in the US face a fine of up to $4,300 per barrel of oil spilled depending on the level of negligence demonstrated.
BP could face a fine of up to $18billion (£11billion) if the US Government’s claim that 4.2million barrels polluted the water, rather than the 2.45million the company claims.
Both sides agree that the equivalent of 810,000 barrels of oil – 34 million gallons – were spilled but captured before it could pollute the water.
BP’s lawyer Mike Brock said the US government’s estimate of the amount spilled by the well does not take into account uncertainty about the condition of the flow between the initial blowout on April 20 2010, and it finally being capped on July 15.
He told the court that sand pumping through the well and eroding the equipment caused the force of the flow to increase as time passed – contrary to the US Government’s claim that the flow slowed as the oil levels in the reservoir fell.
“BP will present information and opinions based on known data — known data before the spill and known data after the spill,” he said.
“It’s an industry standard approach to resolving or solving a problem like this.”
The trial continues.
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