Golly, who ever could have imagined? So many of us always thought BP was like a good friend who was always there to help. Even their Beyond Petroleum adverts convinced us that they were there as a force for good, helping the energy industry move forward with a green vision of the world. My whole world has been turned upside down by this news.
BP said payouts to people affected by its Gulf of Mexico oil spill had dramatically increased since it surrendered authority for dispensing funds to an independent administrator.
BP said the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF), the $20 billion fund it set up to compensate fishermen, hoteliers and retailers whose business was hit by the spill, had paid out 19,000 claims totaling over $240 million.
The total cost of the spill response has hit $9.5 billion, Europe's second-largest oil company by market value said in a statement late on Sunday.
