Three years after a deadly explosion on a BP-leased drilling rig unleashed the worst environmental disaster in US history, the British energy giant is fighting to avoid billions in fines. BP's lawyers are trying to convince a federal judge that the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was not a result of gross negligence and to shift some blame -- and cost -- to its subcontractors at a blockbuster trial in New Orleans.

The Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) is pleased to announce that the jacket for the West Chirag platform built as part of the Chirag Oil Project (COP) sailed away yesterday from the Heydar Aliyev Baku Deepwater Jackets Factory (BDJF) for offshore installation, the company said, Trend reported.The jacket transportation, launch and installation activities have been carefully planned and are expected to take 45 days to complete, including allowance for the weather conditions.The West Chirag jacket is the heaviest jacket ever built in the Caspian and it was fully

LONDON (Reuters) - British gas and power utility SSE <SSE.L> expanded its portfolio of North Sea gas interests on Friday by acquiring a 50 percent stake in the Sean gas field from BP <BP.L>, it said. The 117.4 million-pound sale, which has now been finalised, will provide for around 25 percent of SSE's forecast gas needs to supply its customers over the next three years, it said.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's government is considering selling a 19 percent stake in state-controlled oil major Rosneft <ROSN.MM> this year as part of plans to speed up privatisation, Economy Minister Andrei Belousov said. Russia's plan to sell stakes in large firms and banks has slipped behind schedule, but officials are showing greater urgency to complete asset sales as a slowing economy dents tax revenues.