Owner of Deepwater Horizon drilling rig agrees to $211m damages settlement

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/20/transocean-deepwater-spill-settlement

Version 0 of 1.

Lawyers representing businesses and individuals claiming damages from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill have announced a $211m (£188m) settlement with Transocean Ltd, owner of the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

Related: Deepwater Horizon oil spill killed large numbers of dolphins, study suggests

BP leased the rig from Transocean. The April 2010 explosion of the rig killed 11 workers and sent oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days.

Court rulings have put the brunt of responsibility for the disaster on BP. But Transocean and Houston-based cement contractor Halliburton were also found to have had some responsibility.

Halliburton reached a $1bn settlement with plaintiffs last year.