The Hague, July 10 - Neftegaz.RU. According to a report by Offshore Energy Today and The New Orleans Advocate, Shell has agreed to pay $3.8 million to the U.S. government to settle the lawsuit over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill but the settlement isn’t final as it must first be published in the Federal Register and have a 30-day public comment period.
The oil spill happened on or about May 11, 2016, when Shell discharged crude oil into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico from its Green Canyon Block 248 offshore facility located on the Glider field, leading to a 2 mile by 13 mile sheen on the sea surface some 97 miles south of Port Fourchon, LA.
The oil spilled from a 6-inch-diameter pipeline that is used to transfer oil from a production well on the seabed to a collection point. The incident resulted in an estimated discharge of 1,926 barrels of oil (80,892 gallons) into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Following the spill, the U.S. government acting at the request of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Department of the Interior through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the State of Louisiana brought a civil action against Shell for recovery of damages for injury to, destruction of, loss of, or loss of use of natural resources.
Plaintiffs sought damages in order to compensate for and restore natural resources injured by Shell’s crude oil spill. Plaintiffs also sought to recover unreimbursed costs of assessing such damages.
The New Orleans Advocate also said that, under the terms of the settlement, Shell admitted no liability but would pay over $3.8 million to the United States.
