Oil firms have lessons to learn from Gulf of Mexico spill

BEIJING - The Gulf of Mexico oil spill will be an important lesson for the domestic oil industry and environmental protection experts, who are now calling for stronger offshore drilling regulations to prevent future disasters.

Chinese experts have been closely monitoring the recent unsuccessful attempts by British oil major BP Plc to cap the spill, which will also involve the use of undersea robots in two months. The accident was described by the White House as the worst environmental disaster the US has ever faced.

Experts have been quick to point out that the accident will push up global crude prices over the long term. At the same time they also feel that the domestic oil companies, which are operating overseas and offshore, should learn the lessons from the mishap and improve the safety awareness in production.