What penalties did Transocean face for its role in the Deepwater Horizon spill?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Transocean—which owned and operated the rig—faced significant legal and financial penalties for its role in the disaster.123

In January 2013, Transocean reached the following agreements:

  • Civil Penalty: The company agreed to a $1 billion civil penalty under the Clean Water Act. Of this amount, approximately $800 million was designated for restoration projects in the Gulf of Mexico, with the remainder paid to the federal government.1
  • Criminal Penalty: Transocean pled guilty to criminal violations of the Clean Water Act, resulting in a $400 million penalty. This sum was divided to fund restoration projects administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), an offshore oil safety research endowment managed by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), and a liability trust for future spills.1

Additionally, in May 2015, Transocean resolved claims brought by the plaintiffs’ steering committee for approximately $211.7 million.1