British oil major BP has filed lawsuits against two companies on the first anniversary of the blast at the Deepwater Horizon rig which resulted in the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the New York Times said on Thursday.
Hours before the deadline expired, BP sued Deepwater Horizon owner, Swiss-based Transocean, and Cameron International, the producer of the blowout preventer (BOP) that failed last year.
"BP filed suit as part of the legal process to ensure that all parties involved in the Macondo well are appropriately held accountable for their roles in contributing to the Deepwater Horizon accident," BP said in a statement.
"The Presidential Commission and BP's internal investigation found that the Deepwater Horizon accident was the result of multiple causes involving multiple parties including BOP's failure," the statement reads.
The blast and fire at the Deepwater Horizon platform accident claimed 11 lives, and released an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over the next 87 days. Its consequences are still felt in many U.S. states, the Surfrider Foundation said.
"One year later the situation is still dire, with over 66 miles of coastline still posted as moderately or severely oiled and 1,000 square miles of ocean still closed to fishing," the group said in its statement.
MOSCOW, April 21 (RIA Novosti)
