New BP head makes spill his top priority

Bob Dudley, BP's new chief executive officer, has vowed to "change the culture" of how the company tackles safety issues following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster.

Dudley, until now in charge of BP's Gulf clean-up operations, will become the group's first US chief executive following the resignation of the embattled Tony Hayward.

"I think sometimes events like this shake you to the core, the foundation, and you have two responses," Dudley said in a TV interview with ABC News. “One is to run away and hide, the other is to respond and really change the culture of the company and make sure all the checks and balances are there, just to make sure this does not happen again," said Dudley.

Dudley said his top priority was to permanently seal the Gulf well, contain the crude spill and to clean up and restore the area's beaches.