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Fire and explosion damage rig
Blaze leads to evacuation of 115 workers; 11 are missing
Rescuers search waters off Louisiana's coast after an explosion and fire on an offshore drilling platform leaves seven workers badly hurt and 11 missing. Most of the 126 people on board escape safely after the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon at about 10 p.m. The vessel, operated by Transocean and leased by BP, was working about 40 miles offshore. -
Rig burns, search for missing continues
Rig burns, lists. Officials blame a blowout.
Transocean said the fire may be caused by a blowout, the uncontrolled flow of hydrocarbons up the rig's riser. A blowout preventer, or BOP, didn't engage.
<br>Search for missing continues
Seventeen injured are medevaced, four transferred to other ships. -
Rig sinks, evacuees reunite with family
Evacuees reunite with family in Kenner, La.
"My son had just walked off the drill floor," one man said. "... If he'd been there five minutes later he would've been dead."
Rig sinks as crews ready for possible oil spill
Coast Guard shifts to containment mode. -
Risk of spill rises, search for missing called off
Sunken rig increases risks of massive oil spill
<br>Crews fear spill of 336,000 gallons a day.
Coast Guard stops search for missing
<br>Officials notify families.<br>
Investigation heats up
<br>Agencies probe blowout cause. -
Leaks discovered in two places
42,000 gallons of crude a day leak from Gulf floor
The spill, which a day earlier Coast Guard officials believed was contained within a 16-square-mile area on the surface, now covers some 400 square miles and could grow as the well continues to leak. -
Crews fail to cap well, cleanup vessels stuck at port
BP considers using a dome-like container that stopped spills after Hurricane Katrina<br>
High waves and stiff winds keep oil skimmers and other environmental cleanup vessels at port in Venice, La., for the better part of the day allowing the oil slick to widen to about 600 square miles. Those same heavy weather conditions keep the sheen safely away from the Louisiana coast. -
Spill size triples, concerns over wildlife grow
Spill triples in size<br>
Oil slick now covers an estimated 1,800 square miles (about 1.5 times the size of Rhode Island). BP recruits a task force of 1,000 to brainstorm fixes.
Oil oozing toward coast could endanger wildlife<br>
States from Louisiana to Florida are home to dolphins, sea birds, endangered species, prime fishing grounds and white-sand beaches. -
Cleanup outlook improves, coastal businesses brace for spill
BP plans to drill relief well<br>
Better weather aids cleanup; 49 boats work to contain oil.
Coast Guard prepares for controlled burn
BP’s Q1 profits double on higher oil prices
The company is spending $6 million a day on cleanup.
Coastal businesses brace for disaster -
Third leak an issue, political debate ignites
Coast Guard begins controlled burn
Obama sends Cabinet members to help with disaster response.
Spill nears fisheries, endangered species’ habitats
Concern grows for the Breton Sound, one of the most productive shrimp and oyster fisheries in the U.S.
Shares of offshore drilling firms tank
Political debate ignites over offshore plans -
Lousiana declares state of emergency
Cleanup continues, SWAT investigates safety on other Gulf rigs
Workers combat oil with booms, chemicals and fire to limit the damage to the Mississippi River delta. Shrimpers take advantage of early season to harvest their commercial catch. Officials revise estimates of spill volume to 210,000 gallons a day. -
Feds want to suspend offshore drilling pending investigation
Officals call for halt in new drilling until cause is known
Interior Department inspectors board deepwater platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana mobilizes the National Guard as the expanding slick moves toward the coast.
Federal and state leaders lash out at BP
Company responds that it launched “the largest response effort ever done in the world” to slow the disaster and limit its impact. -
Nearly 2 million gallons of crude have spewed into Gulf
Officials say the slicks leading edge will reach Louisiana coastline in the next few days
Experts warn that oil also could threaten Florida Keys.
NOAA estimates nearly 2 million gallons have spilled into the Gulf. The Exxon Valdez spill dumped 11 million gallons in Alaskan waters in 1989.
Gulf Coast reacts to the disaster
Fishermen unable to ply their trade are recruited for spill cleanup. -
President visits, BP blames faulty equipment
BP blames faulty blowout preventer, builds containment box for spill
The low-tech strategy has never been tried before
President Obama visits Louisiana
Interior secretary calls spill a 'grave scenario.’ Obama promises no resource will be spared in disaster response, while BP continues five-pronged strategy for stopping leaks. -
Toll on wildlife rises, BP pledges to pay for cleanup
BP takes responsibility for cleaning up the spill
The company says it will pay compensation for “legitimate and objectively verifiable” claims. President Obama, state attorneys ask BP to explain what exactly that means.
Dead sea turtles, fish wash up on beaches
Spill comes at worst possible time for fishermen -
Coastal winds stall slick's landfall
Coast Guard: 'Gift of time' keeps oil from shore
Oil won't reach land for at least three days, officials say. Alabama deploys 800,000 feet of boom to protect coasts.
Spill hits Chandeleur Sound, La.
Transocean's legal, safety woes mount
Texas politicians weigh in -
Containment box en route to Gulf
Crews load giant contraption on barge
Engineers race to place a huge structure on top of the spill to funnel the crude into a tanker.
Survivors recall details of blast
Spill shouldn't affect oil prices, experts say
BP may try "top kill" idea -
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Crews lower 100-ton box over the blown-out well
Work at site initially on hold due to fire hazards
Feds officially suspend new offshore drilling permits; Salazar says move is retroactive to April 20.
Florida beaches still in the clear
Forecasters estimate it will take at least five more days to reach the state's shores. -
Ice, slush clog containment box
Deep-sea ice crystals stymie containment effort
Setback comes as balls of tar wash up on Alabama islands
Spill threatens seafood market
Fishing ban extended to May 17, cutting into domestic seafood harvest.
Critics blame energy lobby for lax safety rules
Capitol Hill spotlight shines on massive amounts of money spent by oil and gas companies on political contributions and lobbying of Congress and federal regulatory agencies. -
Chemicals to fight spill also could hurt wildlife
Never before has so much dispersant been used on a single site
Effect on ecosystems unknown.
After containment box failure, BP considers other options to stem flow
Smaller box, cuts in riser pipe, "top kill" and deicing large box among ideas.
Alabama officials use makeshift lock system to protect seaport
Transocean asked workers to sign legal docs soon after accident -
BP sprays dispersant at leak source
EPA gives the go-ahead to continuously spray chemicals underwater
Dispersants have never been tried at a depth of 5,000 feet.
BP again tries to distance itself from spill
Pointing finger at contractors, the British oil giant tries to place blame elsewhere.
Obama administration response timeline deemed 'aggressive'
Documents, interviews show little resemblance to slow federal reaction to Hurricane Katrina. -
Execs point finger at each other in Congressional hearings
BP, Transocean and Halliburton aim to minimize their roles in the disaster
In separate investigation, Coast Guard and MMS hear details of rescue
Salazar proposes splitting MMS in two
One arm would oversee leases, the other safety and inspections.
Texas judge bars BP, Transocean and other parties from destroying spill records
BP aims to seal leak with golf balls, rope
Spill swells to 4 million gallons -
Investigation finds litany of ills
What went wrong at oil rig? A lot, probers find
Bad wiring and a leak in the blowout preventer, sealing problems that may have allowed a methane eruption, even a dead battery could have contributed to the disaster.
BP releases video of the leaking pipe.
An estimated 200,000 gallons a day pour into the Gulf.
States scramble for booms -
Spill puts thousands of jobs in jeopardy
Drilling contractors fear drilling permits ban will cost thousands of jobs in Gulf Coast states.
Records that could have helped investigators went down with the Deepwater Horizon.
Judge grants Transocean a stay in spill-related cases.
After spill, West Coast senators move to bar offshore drilling in Pacific states.
Containment at the sea floor is now "one or the other:" dome or insertion tube. -
BP turns to two-pronged containment strategy
As BP tries to plug the leak, feds OK more agrressive use of dispersants.
Obama scolds execs over spill blame game.
Spill threatens birds throughout the Gulf.
If they are killed by an oil spill anywhere in the Gulf, they will not return to Texas for harvest or to serve as food for birds or other larger organisms.
Anadarko pays dearly for passive interest in Gulf well. -
Armchair critics offer cleanup advice
Politicians, average Joes with solutions clamor for BP's attention.
The more determined idea pushers seek media coverage of their plans, and those with a solution that translates visually post Web videos.
Oil stays about 150 miles from Texas shore.
After tour of BP facility Gov. Rick Perry says dispersants are working. -
4-inch tube successfully threaded into pipeline
After two misfires, tube begins siphoning oil.
Stars help out fishermen with Gulf Aid concert.
Music fans brave a downpour in New Orleans to raise money for fishermen affected by the spill.
Spill lawsuits could drag on for years. -
Insertion tube placed successfully
On third try, tube in place to syphon oil to waiting tanker
Plan is to start slowly and work up to full capacity in coming days. BP also prepares to block well with "junk shot"; drilling of relief well is halfway done. Meanwhile, a worker who survived the rig fire says during a test of the blowout preventer four weeks before the accident, a crewman accidentally moved 15 feet of pipe through the closed device. Later, a worker found chunks of rubber in the drilling fluid from the pipe's gasket. -
BP readies for "top kill" procedure
Heavy drilling fluids, cement might seal well
Feds create independent panel to investigate accident
Gulf spill faces inquiry at similar level to that of the Three Mile Island disaster
BP, Transocean execs testify on Capitol Hill -
Oil reaches Louisiana marshlands
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Beleaguered MMS to be split in three
Interior secretary signs order dividing MMS to avoid conflicts of interest.
Lawmakers grill BP on use of particular chemical as a dispersant.
Corexit maker had corporate ties to BP.
Lawsuit says Transocean misled investors on BOP safety.
Shareholders contend effectiveness of blowout preventer was overstated, leading to inflated stock price. -
BP concedes its spill size estimate is wrong
With insertion tube collecting 5,000 barrels a day, leak must be larger.
Independent scientists say video of undersea leak indicates flow could be 10,000 to 20,000 barrels a day.
Regulators tell BP to switch spill chemicals.
Feds urge use of a less toxic dispersant to protect wildlife. -
BP wants to keep using controversial dispersant
Corexit is the best option, BP COO says, despite EPA concerns about toxicity.
Fishermen begin to realize scope of the disaster.
Oily onslaught could halt their way of life.
Bipartisan leaders named to independent spill investigation panel. -
Capitol Hill hearings are informative "show trials"
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Protesters demand BP be shut down over spill
Activists urge "crude awakening" from thrall of Big Oil.
Protesters say government should take over containment, cleanup.
BP CEO Tony Hayward tours oil-stained Louisiana beaches.
White House defends its role in cleanup. -
Memorial held for 11 killed in blast
As they grieve, families grasp for details of loved ones' final moments.
Judge who issued stays on spill-related lawsuits hears from lawyers
The question: Whether to join cases together as multidistrict litigation.
Seven issues contributed to disaster, BP says. -
MMS staff took energy firms' gifts, report says
Probe focused on Lake Charles, La. office.
Federal employees accepted lunches, football tickets, hunting trips and other gifts from the oil and gas companies they were in charge of policing.
Experts share their doubts about well's design.
BP begins top kill to seal the well. -
Top kill moves forward
Procedure is going as planned, BP CEO says.
Spill estimate rises to 12,000-19,000 barrels a day.
Slick’s size now surpasses Exxon Valdez.
Witnesses say arguments, failure to heed data clues preceded fire.
MMS head steps down.
Obama announces new steps to deal with spill
Plan includes six-month ban on offshore drilling permits. -
BP exec claims cleanup could take just a few weeks
Damage to Gulf has been overplayed, BP official says.
Company's top oil spill adviser claims the most damaging aspects of the slick could be cleaned up by the end of the summer.
Bureau of Land Management leader takes over as head of MMS
Obama visits affected areas
President vows feds and BP will resolve "nightmare" in the Gulf. -
Top kill effort fails
BP's most ambitious effort to stem the leak meets with defeat
President Obama calls the setback "as enraging as it is heartbreaking." Next step will be to cut and cap the leaking pipe. -
Cut-and-cap plan moves ahead
New effort to stanch leak won't catch all of the crude.
Latest plan could increase flow through pipe by 20 percent before it's capped.
BP CEO tells reporters no one wants the spill handled more than he does.
"You know, I'd like my life back," he says. Three days later, he apologizes for insensitivity to Gulf residents. -
BP CEO says there's "no evidence" of undersea oil plumes
Government and independent scientists warn of unseen deepwater oil disaster.
BP Chief Tony Hayward says oil naturally gravitates toward surface, so undersea plumes would just be making their way up. -
Department of Justice announces federal probe
President Obama vows that the responsible parties ust be prosecuted for "the greatest environmental disaster of its kind."
Attorney General Eric Holder says the government must determine whether criminal or civil laws were violated. Start of hurricane season worries Gulf meteorologists.
Some fear a horrific combination of damaging winds and large waves pushing oil deeper into estuaries and wetlands and coating miles of debris-littered coastline. -
Cut-and-cap dealt a setback
A saw stuck in the riser pipe stalls latest containment effort, Coast Guard says.
Procedure hinges on getting a clean cut of the riser pipe.
Environmental groups plan to sue under Clean Water Act.
