The BP Oil Spill and Australia…Is There a Connection?

We have all heard about the terrible Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil company BP has been held responsible. Lots of birds have died, and thousands of other birds have been oiled as a result. In addition, the livelihood of thousands of people in the Gulf States, particularly Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, have been destroyed, since there is no longer the ability to fish from the Gulf. This has flow on effects into many areas of the US economy that has already been battered by the Global Financial Crisis. But what you may not know is that there are a number of connections between the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and an oil spill on the Montara Platform that occurred in August 2009 off the coast of Western Australia. There are many similarities between the two spills. This article will discuss some of these similarities, as well as looking at how we can use the law to assist in preventing oil spills, or if they do occur, how we can lessen the effects of the spills.