BP's partners in its blown-out Gulf well have turned their backs on the company, as the US government sends another bill demanding payment amid hopes the latest cap has worked.
A BP spokesman said that MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC has turned away a $US111 million ($A126.6 million) cleanup bill that BP requested last month.
The other minority owner, Anadarko Petroleum Corp, refused a $US272 million ($A310 million) bill from BP last week.
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"We are disappointed that they too are failing to live up to their responsibilities," BP spokesman Andrew Gowers said of MOEX.
"We won't be distracted from fulfilling our own."
MOEX, which owns 10 per cent of the well, declined immediate comment. MOEX is owned by Japan's Mitsui Oil Exploration Co.
Anadarko, which owns 25 per cent of the well, argued for the past several weeks that BP was reckless in its handling of the well. Company CEO Jim Hackett said BP's actions amounted to gross negligence, excusing the minority partners from what could be billions of dollars in cleanup costs and damage claims.
BP already has paid more than $US3 billion ($A3.4 billion), and the government handed it another bill for nearly $US99.7 million ($A113.7 million) on Tuesday. BP also has agreed to set aside another $US20 billion ($A22.8 billion) for damages from the massive spill.
BP has suspended its dividend and plans to shed $US10 billion ($A11.4 billion) in assets over the next 12 months to help pay for the spill.
Gowers wouldn't say if the company would try to force its partners to pay. He said that BP will review its options. The joint-operating agreement says that BP would need to pursue any disputes through an outside arbitrator.
