SPEIF: Lukoil Exec: BP Was "Really Unlucky" With Oil Spill

18th Jun 2010 15:56

ST PETERSBURG (Dow Jones)--The Gulf of Mexico oil spill was an "unlucky" accident which will hopefully lead to new regulation for offshore deep water drilling, an executive at Russian oil producer OAO Lukoil Holdings (LKOH.RS), said Friday. "The risk of something like this happening is one in a thousand," said Leonid Fedun, Vice President at Lukoil said during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. "BP was really unlucky." Lukoil, which is 20%-owned by U.S. oil major ConocoPhillips (COP), has offshore drilling in the Barents Sea, the Caspian Sea and in West Africa. Fedun referred to the oil spill as a "tragic accident" that was caused by a complicated mix of human, technological and ecological factors. "After 40 years of drilling deep water, this is the first such accident," Fedun said. He said he hoped the accident will lead to new and improved regulation in offshore drilling. -By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, Dow Jones Newswires; +7 495 232 9198; [email protected] (Will Bland in Moscow contributed to this story.) (END) Dow Jones Newswires June 18, 2010 10:56 ET (14:56 GMT)