Deepwater Horizon disaster, the heaviest invoice in the history

The BP company liable for the Deepwater Horizon disaster which occurred in 2010, has reached an agreement with the American authorities to close the case. The final indemnity set at 18.7 billion USD borne by BP will compensate for the ecological and economic damage. This amount will be paid over an 18-year period. The explosion of Deepwater Horizon oil rig caused a significant quantity of oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Initially, BP should pay 5.5 billion USD over 15 years for the violation of the American federal law on water pollution "Clean Water Act". The agreement also provides for the payment of 7.3 billion USD over 18 years to the five states affected by the disaster: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

This indemnity is intended to repair damage caused to natural resources. The amount of 4.9 billion USD is added in order to compensate the economic losses of the five affected states. Finally, 1 billion USD is intended to repair the damage of the 400 local government entities.