THE US Coastguard says BP has been forced to remove a cap that was containing some of the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.

ENERGY giant BP yesterday said it was capturing about a fifth of the estimated oil gushing from its ruptured undersea Gulf of Mexico well and hoped to try to fully stop the flow later this week.

BP’s chairman defended his company’s safety record today, and said “a failed piece of equipment” was to blame for a massive oil spill along the Gulf Coast of America.

A FEDERAL judge has ordered Exxon Mobil to pay about $6.75 billion to thousands of Alaskans affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

A federal judge has ordered Exxon Mobil to pay about $6.75bn (€5.4bn) to thousands of Alaskans affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.