Gulf of Mexico BP reached an $18.7bn settlement with the US government, the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, as well as 400 local authorities. To date BP's cost for the clean-up, environmental and economic damages and penalties has reached $54bn. According to the National Response Center, the oil industry has thousands of minor accidents in the Gulf of Mexico every year. On May 12, 2016, a release of oil from subsea infrastructure on Shell's "Brutus" oil rig released 2,100 barrels of oil. This leak created a visible 2 mile by 13 mile oil slick in the sea about 97 miles
NOAAS Okeanos Explorer Gulf of Mexico 2018 Expedition Kingdom, and Canada participated as members of the science team through telepresence. The expedition also conducted 16 live telepresence interactions with various groups engaging more than 400 individuals including the Exploratorium, National Aquarium, Boston College, Hawaii Pacific University, London Natural History Museum, and many more. NOAAS Okeanos Explorer Gulf of Mexico 2018 Expedition This expedition was the final of three expeditions on the NOAAS Okeanos Explorer intended to increase the understanding of the deep-sea environment in the Gulf of Mexico. Gulf of Mexico 2018 was a 23-day telepresence-enabled expedition to collect critical information and acquire data on priority exploration areas