July 9, 2010
BP announced that it may be able to contain the flow of oil from the Gulf of Mexico within the next four days. Thad Allen, the government's national incident coordinator, announced today that this will be accomplished by accelerating installation of a tight seal between a damaged wellhead and a surface production vessels. This work must be completed within the next few days as weather conditions are expected to be ideal before a new storm comes rolling in, complicating relief efforts. Correcting the seal will come at a cost however, thousands of additional barrels are expected to spill over the next several days as work is done.
After the seal is completed it is estimated that BP will be able to capture 25,000 barrels of oil per day. The new cap will allow operators to control the flow of oil and gas, which in turn will hopefully allow them to pour cement down the well. This may ultimately "kill" the well.
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