Today marks the 11th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig

Today marks 11 years since an explosion rocked the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, killing 11 workers and causing the largest marine oil spill in history.

The Deepwater Horizon, which was being leased by BP, was located off the Coast of Louisiana at the time of the disaster.

The rig capsized and sank two days later, causing the oil spill.

An estimated 210 million gallons of oil flowed into the Gulf over 87 days before it was finally capped on July 15th.

The spill polluted the shorelines of four states and is blamed for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of fish, birds, and sea turtles.

In 2012, BP pled guilty to 11 counts of felony manslaughter, one count of felony obstruction of justice, and environmental crimes.

They also agreed to pay $4 billion in criminal fines and penalties.

IMMS Director Dr. Moby Solangi said, “First, we worked to identify what the problem is. Now, we are in the restoration and recovery mode. And so, we are using the BP money to rehabilitate animals that are sick and injured. For example, a sea turtle has– the hatchling has a one and ten thousand chance of being an adult, so saving all the adults helps in the restoration and recovery. So, we’re working in saving these animals so we can restore the Gulf.”

IMMS played a central role in the response to helping sick and injured dolphins, sea turtles, and manatees during the spill.

With thousands of active oil wells and pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, Solangi warns that we should stay vigilant in protecting our environment.