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BP planning to install new containment cap
A new containment mechanism to control the spreading of oil in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to be installed anytime over the next few weeks, replacing the previous containment mechanism.
In order to install the operation, the current top hat containment system will need to be temporarily suspended. This means about 15.000 barrels of oil a day collected with the system will be released again into the Gulf until the new system is in place.
Admiral Thad Allen, responsible for overseeing the government's spill response, said last Friday, "I validated this plan because the capacity for oil containment when these installations are complete will be far greater than the capabilities we have achieved using current systems."
The new containment system, the Helix Producer and "capping stack" mechanism, is expected to take around 10 days to complete, and will start soon with expected favourable weather conditions, the admiral explained. If successful, the new cap would allow the oil to be siphoned up to container vessels on the surface.
Crude oil has now reached the beaches of all five Gulf states; Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
Around two to four million barrels of oil have gushed into the water since the 20 April. A permanent solution is not expected until one of two relief wells is completed.
