Tom Bergin’s Highly Anticipated Exposé on BP published today

7 July 2011

Tom Bergin, Reuters’ international energy industry correspondent of 12 years, today (7 July) celebrates the publication of his controversial book Spills & Spin: The Inside Story of BP.

Published by Random House Books, who acquired world rights in February of this year, the book focuses on the devastating oil spill in April 2010, when the world watched in alarm as millions of barrels of crude oil began leaking in to 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, a former oil broker turned oil-industry reporter, 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 players 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 30 years to explain how a company that was almost destroyed by privatisation and the oil-price crash of the late 1980s was able to re-emerge as a market leader by the turn of the 21^st century. At the same time, he examines how crucial decisions made during this remarkable turnaround period paved the way for BP’s darkest hour.

Silvia Crompton, Tom’s publisher at Random House, says: ‘I’m delighted to be publishing this inside account of the BP oil spill, which was the biggest news story of 2010 and continues to make the headlines. Tom had unrivalled access to many of the key players during the crisis and afterwards, but he is also able to set the disaster in a broader context to explain precisely why it happened. It’s a gripping read and a cautionary tale.’

Tom Bergin says ‘Behind BP’s highs and lows over the past 20 years is a series of human decisions that, for all that has been written about the company, still remains a mystery to people outside the company. My book shines a light on the people behind those decisions and asks why BP is the company it is.’

Buy a copy of Spills & Spin from either Amazon.co.uk or rBooks.

For further information, please contact Louise Campbell, Publicity Director

for Random House Books on 0207 840 8614 or email lcampbell@randomhouse.co.uk