The cost of the BP oil spill has surpassed the $3 billion mark, the oil giant said in statement today. The total cost has now reached $3.12 billion (£2 billion), including the cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid, and federal costs. "To date, almost 95,000 claims have been submitted and more than 47,000 payments have been made, totalling almost $147 million," BP said. "On June 16th, BP announced an agreed package of measures, including the creation of a $20 billion escrow account to satisfy certain obligations arising from the oil and gas spill. It is too early to quantify other potential costs and liabilities associated with the incident," it added.
BP said its planned work on the first floating riser containment system was delayed by the weather caused by Hurricane Alex as it passed through the Gulf of Mexico. It added that operations to skim oil from the surface of the water were temporarily placed on hold for approximately three days because of the effects of the hurricane.
