NEW ORLEANS, May 3 (UPI) -- BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward personally defended his company's response to a massive oil spill in U.S. Gulf of Mexico contaminating the southern coast.
The Deepwater Horizon platform, operated by BP, caught fire and sunk April 22 about 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana. An underwater leak is spilling about 5,000 barrels per day into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil arrived on the southern coast of the United States by Friday morning and wildlife was observed covered in oil during the weekend.
U.S. President Barack Obama joined his top national security and environmental officials in the region during the weekend as the spill became a national emergency.
"BP is responsible for this leak," he said. "BP will be paying the bill."
Hayward, speaking Monday with National Public Radio from Louisiana, said his company has launched a "massive" response to the spill.
"We will absolutely be paying for the cleanup operation," he said "There's no doubt about that."
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Friday that BP officials would be "held accountable" for the environmental disaster.
BP said it would employ local fisherman to deploy containment boom as compensation for a fishing restriction imposed during the weekend.
The Financial Times, however, said fisherman in the region complained nobody answered when they called BP.
