Oil major BP has lost its bid to reduce the maximum civil fine of $13.7billion it could face for its role in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill.
A US judge dismissed the company’s appeal in which it argued it should pay a cap of $3,000 per barrel.
Prosecutors claim BP should pay around $4,300 per barrel.
BP has previously said it incurred more than $42billion in liabilities for the the spill, which includes the cost of clean-up, compensation for victims and other potential fines.
The 2010 explosion, which happened on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, killed 11 workers.
BP was earlier found grossly negligent leading up to the explosion by US District Judge Carl Barbier.
The court still has to decide the amount of responsibility and final penalty the firm will pay for the disaster.
In 2012, BP accepted criminal responsibility for the disaster and agreed to pay $4.5bn to the US government, which settled its criminal liability in the spill.
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