The Deepwater Horizon Catastrophe: A Factual Overview and Preliminary First-Party Analysis

INTRODUCTION

The devastating explosions and fire at the Deepwater Horizon semi-submersible drilling platform then located in the Gulf of Mexico around 45 miles off the coastline of Louisiana late in the evening of Tuesday, April 20, 2010 led to the tragic loss of eleven lives, and injuries to 17 of the 126 people on board, three of which were critical. By the morning of Thursday, April 22nd, just thirty‐six hours after the explosion, the rig, reportedly insured for $560 million, capsized and sank. But that was just the beginning of what could prove to be one of if not the worst environmental disaster in United States history. BP plc, which owned the well and leased the Deepwater Horizon from Transocean, Ltd., as well as the Coast Guard, initially reported that there was "virtually no leakage" at the site. However, within days it became clear that the well was leaking, and within a week it was reported to be leaking at a rate of 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons) per day. Attempts to stem the leaks have proved futile to date. In a worst case scenario it is possible that the leak could rise to fully...