BP Attempts to Close Underwater Well as Leak turns Menacing
Now underwater well which has leaked leading to spillage of oil till 80 miles across the Gulf of Mexico is now a concern for BP Plc as they plan to shut it down.
US Coast Guard Petty Officer Erik Swanson said in an interview to Businessweek that the petroleum company is trying to stop the leak by increasing the pressure on hydraulic valves on the sea floor. The rig was leased from Trasocean Ltd by BP.
Winds have led to the slick moving northwards have not got reversed and is less likely to add more damage to the leak. Chief Executive of BP Tony Hayward has flown to the US to supervise the cleaning process has said that his company would do “everything in our power to contain this oil spill.”
About 1000 barrels a day is being lost from the rig due to the leak. An explosion occurred on the 22nd of April resulting in the sinking of the rig. 11 crew members were missing after the explosion and are feared dead.
The spillage is yet to impact the shoreline as shared by US Coast Guard Rear Admiral Mary Landry. She added “Our goal is to continue to fight this spill as far offshore as possible.”
An underwater dome is being build by BP to collect the oil but it might take upto two weeks to build it. In addition the company also will drill two more wells which will go 18000 feet below the sea bed. BP has also informed that the majority of the leak is a thin sheet and hence they are concentrating on using oil removing vessels in locations where the spillage in thicker.
As a precautionary measure the crew of drilling rig Ocean Endeavour has been evacuated. The rig is owned by Houstan based Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc.Devon Energy Corp has subleased the rig to Exxon Mobil Corp. The rig owned by BP went down with 700,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board. Better weather conditions have also helped BP in clean up exercise. The company has said that more than 1000 people are participating in the clean up exercise.
On 23rd April the Coast Gaurad had stopped its search operations for the 11 missing crew members after the explosion in the rig.
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