BP, Weatherford In Settlement on Deepwater Horizon

(Dow Jones Newswires), June 20, 2011

BP on Monday reached a settlement with Weatherford's U.S. subsidiary that indemnifies the oil-services company from future Deepwater Horizon-related disaster claims.

Under the deal, Weatherford agreed to pay BP $75 million to spend on its Gulf Coast recovery fund. The entire cost of the settlement is being funded by insurance policies Weatherford had in place when the disaster happened.

The deal ties up another end in a web of litigation for companies that worked on the drilling rig, which exploded last year and caused one of the largest oil spills in U.S. history. Weatherford provided BP with products and services for the Macondo oil well, along with rig-owner Transocean and contractor Halliburton.

Under the latest agreement, BP indemnified Weatherford from all current and future environmental, pollution, personal, business, property and economic loss claims arising from the accident.

Separately, Transocean said Friday that insurers of its sunken rig have asked a federal judge to decide if BP and other owners of the doomed Macondo well are entitled to any coverage for the accident.

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