BP judge urged to impose $11.7bn fine for spill

BP’s exploration unit should be fined at least $11.7bn (€10.1bn) for its role in causing the largest offshore oil spill in US history, a government lawyer told the judge who will determine the penalty.

“The penalty is going to have to be high enough for companies of their size to even notice it, but not high enough to be ruinous to their operations,” lawyer Steven O’Rourke told US District Judge Carl Barbier in his opening statement.

“It has to be high enough so massive companies like Anadarko and BP will be deterred.”