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The lawsuit seeks damages from the well owners BP, Anadarko Petroleum Corp and Mitsui & Co Ltd unit MOEX, and well driller Transocean Ltd and its insurer QBE Underwriting/Lloyd's Syndicate 1036, part of Lloyds of London, for their roles in the Gulf of Mexico disaster.

"While today's civil action marks a critical step forward, it is not a final step," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters at a news conference.

"Both our criminal and civil investigations are continuing, and our work to ensure that the American taxpayers are not forced to bear the costs of restoring the Gulf area -- and its economy -- goes on," he said.

The suit, the first by the U.S. government after the April 20 explosion aboard the drilling rig in which 11 workers died, was filed in a New Orleans federal court which is considering private lawsuits against BP and the others for the spill.

BP, which returned to profitability in the third quarter of 2010, has begun selling assets and amassing a massive warchest to pay for damages caused by the oil spill, which the oil concern has estimated could reach as much as $40 billion.

The oil company said on Wednesday it was weighing the sale of its Canadian natural-gas liquids business.

In response to the lawsuit, BP said it is "solely a statement of the government's allegations and does not in any manner constitute any finding of liability or any judicial finding that the allegations have merit."

"BP will answer the government's allegations in a timely manner and will continue to cooperate with all government investigations and inquiries," the company said.

SETTLEMENT IS A POSSIBILITY

Legal experts have said they expect the two sides to settle eventually but it could take years. In comparison, Exxon XOM.N> settled government claims over the spill by its Valdez tanker in Alaska in 1991, two years after the oil hit the coast.

The lawsuit against BP and others warned that "the full extent of potential injuries, destruction, loss and loss of services is not yet fully known and may not be fully known for many years."

Shares in the companies targeted in the lawsuit fell in the wake of the lawsuit.

The stocks trimmed early losses to close off their lows, with BP down 1.3 percent at $43.86 and Anadarko Petroleum down 2.3 percent at $67.41. Halliburton, which wasn't named in the suit, closed near session lows, down 3.1 percent at $39.79.

The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blowout spilled about 4.9 million barrels of oil over several months. It fouled resort beaches and fishing grounds and led to hundreds of lawsuits over lost revenues and wages.