BP Plc, the embattled British oil giant, confirmed on Wednesday that its chief executive, Tony Hayward, arrived in Abu Dhabi. Media reports have speculated that Hayward is in the Middle East to potentially court business partners that would invest in the company to help pay for a portion of the cleanup costs associated with its Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hayward has been criticized in the United States for its lackluster efforts in leading the oil spill response team, sending shares of BP down more than 50 percent since the explosion on April 20 that led to the massive oil spill.
