Gulf Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico Expanding
Call 1.877.247.3310 TODAY To Find Out Your Legal Rights
Individuals, Businesses and Property Owners may be eligible to file claims for compensation due to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform on April 20, 2010. The explosion has created a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. On April 30, the crude made landfall on the southern coast of Louisiana and has property owners, businesses and officials preparing for an environmental disaster for weeks to come.
Individuals, businesses and property owners may incur damages related to the disaster including:
- Loss of use of personal property
- Loss of property value
- Loss of profits and earnings
- Loss of commercial use of natural resources
Camp owners, condo owners, land owners, commercial fishermen, fishing charter services, hunting charter services, fishing guides, seafood sales, oil companies, oil service companies, transportations companies, barge companies, oystermen and shrimpers, restaurants, business owners, supply companies, landslide companies, transportation boats, crew boats, boatyards, retailers, wireline operators, and off-shore workers may all face property damages and loss of income as a result of this spill.
The U.S. Coast Guard estimates more than 5,000 barrels of oil per day (more than 200,000 gallons) have been leaking into the Gulf of Mexico. This will continue until it is plugged successfully; this amount of crude will ravage the coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and northwest Florida for months to come.
If you or your business have been negatively impacted by the Gulf Oil Spill, you may be entitled to bring claims against BP and others accountable for the damages. Contact Gordon McKernan and McKernan Law Firm today at 1-877-247-3310 or online for more information or to review your situation.
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Background of the Devastating Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
The Deepwater Horizon was operated by BP, plc, and owned by Transocean Ltd. BP possesses the lease granted by the Minerals Management Service that allowed BP to drill for oil and perform oil-production-related operations at the site of the Oil Spill. BP was in operation of the oil well on April 20, 2010 that was the source of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
During the explosion, the Deepwater Horizon was drilling an exploration well that was not producing. It was completing the concrete casing of an 18,000 feet well. According to an anonymous company official, the volume of reserves beneath the seabed that the Deepwater Horizon was tapping into was tens of millions of barrels.
Halliburton was engaged in cementing operations of the well and well cap before the explosion occurred. During a press release on April 30, 2010 Halliburton stated that it "performed a variety of services on the rig, including cementing, and had four employees stationed on the rig at the time of the accident. . ." and that it "had completed the cementing of the final production casing string in accordance with the well design approximately 20 hours prior to the incident. . ." Halliburton had not yet placed "the final cement plug which would enable the planned temporary abandonment of the well." The process of cementing is supposed to inhibit oil and gas from escaping the well by filling voids between the outside of the well pipe and the inside of the hole bored into the ocean floor. When the cement develops cracks or does not set properly, oil and gas escape, ultimately flowing out of control.
According to officials at Transocean, the blowout (pressure surge) may have activated the explosion and fire on April 20. The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon resulted in a massive fire and lead to the deaths of 11 crewmembers and injuries of 17 others. On April 22, 2010 after burning for several days, there was a second explosion causing the rig to sink in approximately 5,000 feet of water.
BP and Transocean attempted on April 24, 2010 to switch to a "blowout preventer," made by Cameron International Corporation. The blowout preventer is part of 18 foot wide and 50 foot high housing on the sea floor. Initial attempts to trigger the blowout preventer have failed. The blowout preventer was not equipped with a remote control shutoff device called an acoustic switch. The acoustic switch allows the remote control triggering of a blowout preventer and is meant as a last resort safeguard device.
In an exploration plan performed by BP, a worst- case scenario of a spill yielded 162,000 gallons of oil a day. However, current estimates of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are estimated at 210,000 gallons are leaking out per day. BP did not outline in its exploration how it would respond to a blowout scenario.
Currently the oil spill threatens the wetlands, estuaries and national fisheries of the Gulf States, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Florida. The areas which have been damaged and/or will be damaged by the spill provide livelihood for area residents and businesses. The timing of the spill is tragic because it is peak spawning and nesting season for many species of fish and other marine creatures, many of which have commercial importance. Experts have warned that the gulf oil spill could result in a multi-decade impact and long-term poisoning of the area.
If you or your businesses have been negatively impacted by the Gulf Oil Spill, you may be entitled to bring claims against BP and others accountable for the damages. Contact Gordon McKernan and McKernan Law Firm today at 1-877-247-3310 or online for more information or to review your situation.
