Efforts to End Oil Flow From BP Well Are Over, Coast Guard Says

[GrapesOfWrath]

Source: Bloomberg



By Jim Polson

June 1 (Bloomberg) -- BP Plc has decided not to attach a second blowout preventer on its leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico and efforts to end the flow are over until the relief wells are finished, according to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Thad Allen, who spoke at a press conference today.
Last Updated: June 1, 2010 13:41 EDT


Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=akSN5OpOOiLg

---

Well this is depressing :cry:

[nashville_brook]

1. i just saw this too -- it's a pretty big story contained in one whole sentence, doncha think.

the response to this should be interesting.

[Fumesucker]

2. If at first you don't succeed..

The board of directors will tell you to give up..

[nashville_brook]

3. we are so fucked.

[Fumesucker]

11. We are so far beyond fucked..

That the light from fucked won't reach us for ten billion years..

h/t Roseanne..

[Myrina]

4. ... and any permits to drill offshore should be over, too.

What will it take for POTUS to get to that point?

[nashville_brook]

6. damn right. spot on.

[DirkGently]

7. And yet . . .

Obama's latest comment was something about how we need to "assure ourselves that deep water drilling is safe." Like it's a foregone conclusion.

[joanmj]

12. Absolutely!

[luvspeas]

5. WHAT?????????

n/t can't type. too sad.

[GrapesOfWrath]

8. In 1979 it took 10 months to get the well sealed and that was in 200 feet of water

Sickening to think how long it will take for them to get this one sealed. :mad:

[LuvNewcastle]

9. I heard a long time ago

that this wouldn't be over until the relief well was drilled. Last I heard that was going to be in August. All these other attempts have been made so that they can say they've done everything.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

10. That's it? Are you f'n serious?

We're done. Oh well.

Just great.:grr:

[lamp_shade]

13. Ending oil flow and Containing oil flow are two different things.

[drm604]

14. So they're not going to try that new top hat thing?

I was watching the cam just a little while ago and it certainly looked like they were getting ready to cut the riser. They actually had the jaws on it. Then the camera suddenly ascended out of the water and the video stream shut off. I wonder what happened?

[lamp_shade]

15. They certainly are. It will "contain" the oil flow, but it won't "stop" it.

[drm604]

16. That article seems to give the impression that they're not going to try to do anything.

I hope you're right.

[lamp_shade]

18. Typically "misleading" title (and bought here hook, line and sinker).

[drm604]

24. I didn't buy it.

I was questioning it.

I wonder why they would want to mislead people into thinking that they were giving up completely? Maybe it's just sloppy journalism? :shrug:

[lamp_shade]

30. I knew that. But some here did.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

22. Check out these links

Currently they're attempting to contain the flow of oil, but they're no longer attempting to stop it. They tried, it failed, they moved on.

Here's what they're up to explained: http://bp.concerts.com/gom/kentwellstechupdatelong053110.htm

You can actually watch the procedure live here: http://www.livestream.com/wkrg_oil_spill

You can watch it and hang out with other DUers doing the same here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8462707

That doesn't mean their new attempt will work, but they're not just sitting on their hands doing nothing. They're very busy and doing lots of stuff. There's just no promise any of it will help alleviate the problem.

[Barrett808]

17. More details here:

BP gives up on plans to stop leak, bets everything on relief wells

BP Plc has given up trying to plug its leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico any sooner than August, laying out a series of steps to pipe the oil to the surface and ship it ashore for refining, said Thad Allen, the U.S. government’s national commander for the incident. ...

BP will try to install a snug-fitting “top cap” over the gusher within 24 hours to 48 hours once the robots complete severing the pipe. ...

[DoBotherMe]

20. Could they have done that 42 days ago?

Wonder why they didn't cap it then. D ; )

[lamp_shade]

21. Thanks. I hope the knee-jerkers here read your reply.

[NYC_SKP]

23. Same story as the OP, looks like. n/t

[NYC_SKP]

19. I think there is a gross misunderstanding here.

Attaching a second BOP is not the mission at hand.

Fitting a LMRP is the immediate mission.

It was never intended to completely stop the leak, only to greatly reduce it until one of the relief wells is successful.

The relief well is the only solution that as been advertised as a 100% end to the leak (besides the now failed Top Kill).

I'll need more than a bloomberg article to be convinced that the LMRP option is suddenly not happening.

:patriot:

[gateley]

29. Agree - I take it to mean that they won't attempt another kill top. We know

they're working fast and furious on the top hat or top cap or whatever they're called.

I think Allen sometimes isn't too clear. HE understands the differences and subtleties, but we don't, as evidenced by the reaction to this latest statement. I recall this happened once before, too.

[NYC_SKP]

25. This Bloomberg article is in complete disagreement with another article posted today.

Worth checking out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10198201.stm

I feel that Mr. Polson's article gives the wrong impression.

:shrug:

[flamingdem]

26. I think this is good news! The riser was blocking much of the flow

If they cut that forget it ...

(edited for overenthusiasm)

[flamingdem]

27. I should add this was my fear anyway, just from looking at it nt

[skip fox]

28. And recently I've heard BP express doubts about the 2nd drilling.

Some people are asking BP how much is there in the well if we can't stop it.


The Gulf of Mexico, the new Black Sea.

Everyone emotional about it down here in southern Louisiana. It could spell an extremely different future for this region. Hub City, Lafayette, the center of Acadiana and Cajun country, where I'm sitting now is north east of the spill and yet is harshly impacted already.

[flamingdem]

31. How so? I feel for what you are going through

and hope this nightmare ends asap.

[RoccoR5955]

32. This is how the end starts

Oceans get polluted, killing ocean life, which extends to land life, culminating on human life.
Capitalism has killed the planet. Smooth move, Ex-Lax!

[lamp_shade]

33. Yup. Guess I'll go eat worms.

[FiveGoodMen]

34. "Capitalism has killed the planet"

But the stupid, treacherous, asshole Americans who worshiped capitalism as a god are the ones that deserve the blame.

And the punishment.

[mikelgb]

35. kick

BP's ASS!

[Barack_America]

36. "BP is over"

That's what I read.

[defendandprotect]

37. June, July, August . . . . . . . . . . Insane!! RESTORE THE MORATORIUM...!!

And proof that all off-shore drilling has to be stopped -- RESTORE THE MORATORIUM!!

[CanonRay]

38. This is the way the world ends; not with a bang, but a wimper.

[carlyhippy]

39. Why in the heck didn't they start drilling relief wells the first day?!!!!!!????!!!!

Unbelieveable.....so much for our oceans and beaches, thanks a boatload there BP...

[Javaman]

40. So in other words...

the technology to stop a deep water oil eruption doesn't exist.

So why are we drilling down that deep again?

Oh yeah, the addiction thing.

[tavalon]

41. I've been saying from the beginning that the only reason they

did the top hat, top kill, junk shot, etc. was to look like they were doing something, anything. There was little chance that any of these things would work and in fact, it may take more than one try to get the relief well in the right place. But had anyone at BP mentioned that none of these things would work and we would just have to wait a few months, they would have been lynched. You think we're mad at them now, we would have been uncontrollably furious if they hadn't looked busy. I'm frankly surprised they've decided to admit this.