BP wants $60bn from Halliburton after Gulf of Mexico spill

BP is claiming its contractor, Halliburton, should pay for the entire clean up following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.

In a filing at a court in New Orleans integrated oil company BP says the American oilfield services firm should pick up the tab for the clean up operation, which could come to as much as $60bn.

The court documents also make clear BP wants compensation for lost profits and "all other costs and damages".

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BP and Halliburton both claim the other is responsible for the spill in April 2010

BP shares were up around 1% this morning on the news of the legal filing.

In the first few months after the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico BP shares lost 50% of their value. Since then the group has made a steady recovery although the stock is still down 27% on its pre-Deepwater Horizon level.

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