APRIL 15, 2015
The administrator overseeing a BP Plc (BP.L) fund to
compensate people and businesses claiming they were harmed by the 2010 Gulf of
Mexico oil spill said on Wednesday more than $5 billion has been paid out.
A total of $5.037 billion (3.63 billion pounds) has been
paid to 62,162 claimants, the administrator, Patrick Juneau, said in a
statement on his website for spill claims.
The money is being paid under a 2012 settlement tied to the
explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which killed 11 workers and
caused the largest U.S. offshore oil spill. The fifth anniversary of the
disaster will be April 20.
BP originally said it expected to pay $7.8 billion to
resolve claims under the settlement but by February of this year had boosted
its estimate to $9.9 billion.
The London-based oil company had long complained that Juneau
was paying out too much, including to claimants who suffered no harm.
But last month, BP ended a bid to oust Juneau, citing steps
he had taken to reduce fraud.
According to Juneau, more than half of the payouts so far
have compensated businesses that suffered economic losses, with a significant
percentage also going to the seafood industry.