BP has announced a series of measures to improve the safety and environmental performance of its operations in the Gulf of Mexico as it seeks to salvage its reputation following last year's disastrous oil spill.The company says its new measures go beyond existing regulatory obligations."BP's commitment in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon incident is not only to restore the economic and environmental conditions among the affected areas of the Gulf Coast, but also to apply what we have learned to improve the way we operate," said chief executive Bob Dudley."We believe the commitments we have outlined today will promote greater levels of safety and preparedness in deepwater drilling."The measures announced by BP include new requirements on contractors relating to the subsea blowout preventers used in deepwater drilling. Third parties will be called in to check that blow out preventers have been tested and maintained.BP will also require that its oil spill response plan includes information about enhanced measures for responding to oil spills."BP is adopting these voluntary actions as part of its commitment to safe and reliable operations, and to help rebuild trust in the company following last year's accident and oil spill," said James Dupree, BP regional president, Gulf of Mexico."BP is the largest lease holder in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico and we intend to be a significant business presence here for a long time to come."---RG