NEW ORLEANS — A former BP rig engineer was found not guilty Thursday on a charge of negligence that contributed to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Robert Kaluza was a rig supervisor aboard the Deepwater Horizon offshore rig when it exploded, killing 11 workers and resulting in millions of gallons of oil spewing into the Gulf and fouling wetlands and beaches.

Kaluza was charged with a single count of violating the federal Clean Water Act.

Jurors got the case Thursday afternoon and reached a verdict after less than two hours of deliberation.

Defense attorney Shaun Clarke cast Kaluza as a scapegoat. He said federal prosecutors failed to make their case.