BP has suffered its second setback in a week over Gulf of Mexico spill costs, after a federal judge said yesterday Halliburton is not liable for some pollution claims arising from the disaster in 2010.
BP must indemnify Halliburton, which provided cementing services for the Macondo oil well, for third-party compensatory claims under their contract, even if Halliburton is found grossly negligent.
But Halliburton will still be responsible for punitive damages, as well as civil fines under the Clean Water Act – giving it a similar level of liability as rig owner Transocean, which partially won its own hearing last week.
BP, which has set aside $20bn to pay for its part of the clean-up and compensation efforts, said the ruling “is a strong signal that contractors involved in critical well operations will be held accountable for their actions under the law”.
