FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2010 file photo, BP …

Alastair Grant | published: December 29, 2010

FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2010 file photo, BP PLC Chief Executive Bob Dudley speaks at a news conference at their headquarters in London. As the Gulf oil spill gushed out of control this summer, BP's financial liabilities expanded so rapidly that experts wondered if the company had drilled its last well. Only months later, though, the British oil giant has pulled itself back from the brink.