'' Deepwater Horizon '' oil spill ( also referred to as the BP oil spill/leak , the BP oil disaster , the Gulf of Mexico oil spill , and the Macondo blowout ) is an industrial disaster that began on April 20 , 2010 , in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect , considered to be the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry and estimated to be 8 % to 31 % larger in volume than the previous largest , the Ixtoc I oil spill , also in the Gulf of Mexico . The U.S. Federal Government estimated the total discharge at . After several failed efforts to contain the flow , the well was declared sealed on September 19 , 2010 . Reports in early 2012 indicated that the well site was still leaking . The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is regarded as one of the largest environmental disasters in American history
Ixtoc I oil spill
Ixtoc I oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill