BP focused too much on the little details of personal worker safety instead of the big systemic hazards that led to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a US government safety panel has concluded.

BP has accused Halliburton of destroying damaging evidence about the quality of the cement used in the oil well that blew out last year and caused the worst US offshore oil spill.

BP is accusing Halliburton of destroying damaging evidence about the quality of its cement that went into the Deepwater Horizon well that exploded, killing 11 people and causing America’s worst offshore oil spill.

A KEY US federal report has laid much of the blame on BP for the worst offshore oil spill in US history and the deaths of 11 rig workers — particularly with regard to the cement seal that was put in place the day before the explosion that triggered the spill.

A key US report has laid much of the blame on BP for the massive Gulf of Mexico rig disaster.

Oil giant BP says it is investigating a new sheen in the Gulf of Mexico but there is no immediate indication it is the result of a new oil spill.

Decisions intended to save time and money created an unreasonable risk that triggered the largest offshore oil spill in US history, which could happen again without significant reforms, the top-level panel probing the BP blowout said tonight.

The presidential commission investigating the BP Gulf oil spill today challenged claims made in Congress that the oil company and others sacrificed safety to cuts cost.

Oil giant BP announced a return to profit today despite a further hit of $7.7bn from the Gulf of Mexico disaster.