BP 'very sorry' for 2010 gulf spill

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NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- British company BP is "deeply sorry" for the loss of life and damage caused by the 2010 gulf oil spill, BP Vice President Luke Keller told a U.S. federal court.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana accepted a guilty plea from BP that resolves "all federal criminal charges" against the company for the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

BP in November agreed to plead guilty to 14 criminal charges stemming from the accident as well as to $4 billion in fines and penalties.

Keller told the court that BP was profoundly sorry for the accident, in which 11 rig workers died and resulted in the worst offshore oil spill of its kind.

"We ... are deeply sorry for the tragic loss of the 11 men who died and the others who were injured that day," he said. The guilty plea, he added, indicates BP "understands and acknowledges" its role in the incident. The company also apologized for environmental harm caused by the spill.

BP's guilty plea means it's no longer eligible for new contracts or leases in the area where violations of the Clean Water Act occurred. Existing contracts and leases aren't affected. BP's guilty plea included one misdemeanor count under the act.

Transocean Deepwater Inc., owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig, leased to BP, agreed to pay more than $1 billion in fines and penalties in early January.

BP last year claimed oil services contractor Halliburton destroyed test results regarding cement used to seal the Macondo well beneath the rig. Halliburton said the charges are baseless.