NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, July 10, (AFP) - Energy giant BP was expected to begin a new effort Saturday to contain a Gulf of Mexico oil spill by placing a better cap over the gushing well in hopes to stop the flow of oil completely.
Admiral Thad Allen, who oversees the government's spill response, said late Friday he had approved the plan to simultaneously install the Helix Producer and “capping stack” containment mechanisms over the well.
However, the operation will require temporary suspension of the current top hat containment system, which will mean the oil will again be flowing uncontrollably into the sea.
“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,” Allen explained.
He said favorable weather was expected in the spill area over the coming days, which “will provide the working conditions necessary for these transitions to be successfully completed without delays.”The transition to this new containment infrastructure could begin in the next days but will take seven to 10 days to complete, the admiral said.
If successful, the new cap could capture all of the crude spilling into the Gulf and allow it to be siphoned up to container vessels on the surface, in effect halting the devastating spill of crude into the sea that has imperiled fragile coastlines and wildlife across the Gulf Coast. |
E-mail
