The Legal Issues and Ethical Effects of the Deepwater...

BP Gulf Oil Spill 1 Running Head: BP GULF OIL SPILL The Legal Issues and Ethical Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Explosion and British Petroleum Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010 Terry D. Bollman Park University BP Gulf Oil Spill 2 British Petroleum’s Roll in the Gulf Oil Spill This paper will explain some of the effects of three legal issues and three ethical issues surrounding the London-based British Petroleum Company’s involvement in the explosion of the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon and the subsequent oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico. There are many legal issues surrounding this disaster, but the three this paper will focus on are the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, maritime laws, and criminal charges†¦show more content†¦(Cooper amp; Baker, 2010). Many people in the region are in disbelief that another disaster could strike so soon after Hurricane Katrina just five years earlier. Lives were just returning to normal only to be tossed upside down again. The Deepwater Horizon was one of the largest offshore oil-drilling rigs in the world. During its more than nine years of service, all of which were under lease to the British Petroleum Company, numerous inspections were conducted by the federal Minerals Management Service (MMS). The exact number of inspection cannot be verified due to lack of proper recordkeeping and supporting documentation. The number of inspections has varied between eighty-three and eighty-eight, with as many as forty-eight being conducted since January, 2005. (Kunzelman amp; Burke, 2010). One of the safety violations documented during an inspection was on the blowout valve that failed causing the fireball that ignited the drilling platform. The question arises as to BP Gulf Oil Spill 5 who will ultimately be held responsible and will they adequately compensate the families of the victims, BP who leased the rig, Transocean who owned the rig, Hyundai Heavy Industries who built the rig or MMS who conducted the inspections on the rig. As of July 5, 2010 BP has paid out almost $147 million in compensation to more than 47,000 payment of almost 95,000 claims made against BP. Roughly 44,500 people, more than 6,500 boats and 113 aircraft are currentlyShow MoreRelatedBusiness Ethics. Bp Oil Disaster – â€Å"Deepwater Horizon Oil1214 Words   |  5 PagesBusiness Ethics BP Oil Disaster – â€Å"Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill† Thelma P. Eldridge Business Law – BUS 2301.88 Spring 2017 April 25, 2017 In today’s business world, businesses are subject to the laws of the country in which their company was organized and operates. 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