Transocean Turns up the Heat on BP
The legal tussle between Transocean and BP stemming from the 2010 spill Transocean Ltd. filed a motion in federal court Tuesday to forceBP PLC to indemnify it against damages related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.The legal salvo is the latest in an increasingly bitter contractual dispute between the companies over whether the Switzerland-based Transocean should help pay billions of dollars in costs and government penalties. Federal investigations into the incident have put blame on both BP and Transocean in the 2010 spill, which occurred after a drilling crew lost control of an oil well in deep water off the coast of Louisiana.BP has agreed to pay costs related to cleaning up the spill. But the London-based oil giant is seeking to have Transocean help cover the oil-spill cleanup costs, arguing that Transocean and its employees bear partial responsibility for the accident.Transocean, owner of the world's largest fleet of offshore deepwater drilling rigs, says that BP agreed in its contract to "defend, indemnify and hold harmless" the driller.Transocean, in its legal motion, argues that BP is trying to nullify its contract for use of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. "Why have you signed so many contracts, reviewed by an army ...
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