Oil drill firm headed by Deepwater disaster boss

The former British Petroleum (BP) boss who resigned in the wake of the catastrophic 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the man behind the company set to acquire significant oil interests in Maltese waters.

The much-maligned Tony Hayward is now chief executive of Genel Energy Plc, which struck a deal this week to acquire 75 per cent of Mediterranean Oil and Gas Plc’s oil rights in Area Four Offshore Malta.

The deal is subject to approval by the Resources Ministry, which still has to complete due diligence on the London Stock Exchange-listed Genel Energy Plc.

Mr Hayward was pilloried by the US media and lawmakers at the time of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill for his public relations gaffes and BP’s perceived slowness in containing the oil spill, which flowed unabated for three months.

The spill started after an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, which killed 11 people.