BP likely to survive spill, but at a cost
Shares worth $75b less than before disaster
NEW YORK —
Yesterday alone, the first trading day since BP’s latest attempt at a fix failed, and the day the government announced it had opened a criminal probe into the disaster, its stock took a hit of 15 percent.
The British oil giant is worth $75 billion less on the open market than it was when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded six weeks ago. Other companies involved in the spill —
And as oil seeps unchecked into the Gulf, nearby states, businesses, environmental regulators, and injured workers and cleanup crews are eyeing damages that could total billions more.
“This will be the mother of all liability claims,’’ said Fred Kuffler, a Philadelphia maritime lawyer who has handled oil spill lawsuits.
The stakes were raised yesterday as Attorney General Eric Holder said federal authorities had opened criminal and civil investigations into the spill.
BP says it has spent $1 billion so far on fighting and cleaning the spill. Its liabilities and potential fines are growing by the day, and it could be August before the company gets control of the situation by completing two relief wells.
The company has already agreed to pick up the government’s cleanup tab and any “legitimate’’ damage claims. BP said yesterday it has paid out about $40 million to cover about half of the 30,000 claims it has received.
At least 130 lawsuits have been filed seeking damages for business lost from the spill. Most are from seafood processing plants, charter boat captains, hotels, restaurants, and others who make their living from the sea or from coastal tourism.
Based on federal law, BP and partners
Already, the Gulf disaster has eclipsed the 1989
In addition to cleanup costs, the government will probably ask BP to pay for restoring an oil-soaked coastline — including repairs to sensitive marshlands, oyster beds, and fisheries, Kuffler said.
Altogether, the impact on tourism, fishing, property values, and other damages could reach $10 billion to $15 billion, said Ahmad Ijaz, an economist for the center for business and economic research at the University of Alabama.
BP is self-insured, and analysts say it has enough money to pay for the growing calamity without putting the company at risk of bankruptcy.
Most of its legal costs will be spread out over years. The company can also borrow up to $15 billion from various credit lines without overextending debt beyond company targets.
