In April 2010, the world watched in alarm as millions of barrels of crude oil began gushing into the Gulf of Mexico following a catastrophic explosion at BP's Macondo well. As spring turned to summer and the accident developed into one of the worst oil spills in history, alarm gave way to disbelief and anger. Why had this happened? Why was it taking so long to fix? And who was ultimately to blame? Tom Bergin, a former oil broker turned oil-industry reporter for Reuters, has been following BP's fortunes for almost two decades and he reported daily on the unfolding events of the 2010 spill. His unique access to key figures within BP - including former CEO Tony Hayward - has enabled him to piece together the story of a corporation in crisis. Bergin sets the scene by taking us back nearly thirty years to explain how a company that was almost destroyed by privatisation and the oil-price crash of the late 1980s was able to transform itself into the industry's most dynamic player - and most sophisticated PR machine - by the turn of the twenty-first century. At the same time, he examines how crucial decisions made during this remarkable turnaround period paved the way for BP's darkest hour.

About the Author

Tom Bergin has reported on the energy industry for over twelve years, having previously worked as an oil broker. For the past seven years he has headed Reuters's coverage of the oil industry in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and his work has been published in The New York Times, The Times, The Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, The Globe and Mail and the Shanghai Daily, as well as in dozens of newspapers and magazines around the world. He is a regular television and radio commentator, appearing on CNBC, ITV, the BBC and other outlets as far away as New Zealand. Apart from the oil industry, Tom has reported on financial scandals, including the rise and fall of Enron, environmental issues, EU politics and terrorist attacks. He lives in London with his wife, a former Reuters reporter turned investment banker, and two young sons.

Reviews

"Exhaustively researched. . . . An excellent and reliable account." --"Sunday Times"