BP, the oil giant responsible for the worst oil spill in U.S. history, came close to winning a safety award from lobby group Oil & Gas UK on Wednesday.

While it lost out, BP still won praise for its "enthusiasm and commitment" to offshore safety.

BP was one of three groups shortlisted for an award for 'Innovation in Safety', which was awarded to air traffic control group NATS, at a lunch in Scotland, held a year to the day after a blast on a BP rig which killed 11 men and led to the spill.

A U.S. presidential investigation into the disaster criticized BP's safety culture harshly.

However, Malcolm Webb, chief executive of Oil & Gas UK, said: "All our finalists demonstrated the ideas, enthusiasm and commitment required in putting safety first and set an example for all of us working in offshore oil and gas to follow."