May 3, 2010 - BP said Monday some progress has been made toward plugging the underwater well that ruptured in the Gulf of Mexico nearly two weeks ago, pushing a giant oil slick toward the U.S. Gulf Coast.
In an effort to limit the amount of damage done environmentally and economically BP is working to pug a leak a mile under the surface of the ocean.
A 74-ton steel and concrete containment dome has been finished. BP has announced they will be lowering it in place over one of the three leaks on the ocean floor.
"We will load that on a ship tomorrow along with other associated equipment, and transport it to the site," Doug Suttles, chief operating officer of BP's exploration and production unit, told Reuters reporters.
According to BP, further efforts are being made by drilling on a relief well that started Sunday night and that could cap the oil spill on the Gulf floor. The operation is expected to take two to three months to complete.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects that the oil slick will move further east and west by Tuesday and predict it will not move further north toward the coast.
High winds and high waves in the Gulf have hindered efforts to prevent oil from washing ashore in parts of four states. Fortunately, better weather conditions are expected in the next few days.
While booms were not previously successful because of choppy waters, they are now being laid along miles of coastline of four states and are expected to contain movement of oil onto beaches, wildlife sanctuaries, and breeding grounds.
The oil spill disaster began with an explosion April 20 on the Deepwater Horizon rig that killed 11 workers. The Obama administration is keeping the focus on BP to pay and assume responsibility for the oil spill disaster, Reuters reported.
The federal government has come under fire for not responding more quickly, which may have prompted Obama’s travel to the area on Sunday.
News reports have indicated this oil spill could rival the Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989.
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Source:
Reuters
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