Moex Offshore Announcement:
“On December 15, 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint against nine companies, including MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC (“MOEX Offshore”). This complaint seeks removal costs, economic losses, and environmental damages under the Oil Pollution Act, and civil penalties under the Clean Water Act. MOEX Offshore is a ten percent non-operating investor in the Mississippi Canyon Block 252 lease, and had no authority or responsibility to direct activities or operations on the Deepwater Horizon rig.
Separately, two master (or overall) complaints that appear to seek private losses were also filed on the same day by private plaintiffs participating in the Multi-District Litigation (“MDL”) in this matter. The complaints filed by the MDL private plaintiffs were filed against parties involved in the drilling, cementing, and other temporary well abandonment or response activities for the Deepwater Horizon incident, as well as against MOEX Offshore and (unlike the U.S. Government’s complaint) MOEX USA Corporation (“MOEX USA”) and Mitsui Oil Exploration Co., Ltd. (“MOECO”). Importantly, neither MOEX USA nor MOECO is a lessee on the Mississippi Canyon 252 on which the Macondo well was being drilled. Neither MOEX USA nor MOECO is a party to the BP operating agreement. As with MOEX Offshore, MOEX USA and MOECO had no authority or responsibility for operations on the Deepwater Horizon rig.
MOEX Offshore is a wholly owned subsidiary of MOEX USA, which in turn is wholly owned by MOECO.
MOECO will vigorously defend against any claims asserted against it, just as MOEX USA and MOEX Offshore will vigorously defend against any claims asserted against them.”
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Source: Moeco, December 20, 2010; Image: USCG