The Deepwater Horizon Sets OPA-90 Precedents
June 1, 2012
Types : Bylined Articles
The April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster has produced important recent judicial decisions interpreting OPA -90 which will be of interest to owners, operators and charterers of vessels, including mobile offshore drilling units, lessees of oil exploration and production concessions in US waters, and their respective insurers. This article reviews those aspects of the decisions representing the first judicial pronouncements on the issues the litigation has raised and offers some comments on their significance. As the first decisions, these questions will likely have influence beyond that normally attributable to single trial court level determinations. The following is an edited version of his remarks.