BP happy with new oil-leak effort, but no promises

[Turborama]

Source: AP

Underpromising with hopes of overdelivering, BP said Sunday that it is making progress on what could prove its most effective effort yet to contain the Gulf oil leak, but cautioned that the verdict could be several days away.

A new cap being placed atop the gusher is intended to provide a tight seal and might eventually allow the oil giant to capture all the crude leaking from the well for the first time since an April 20 oil rig explosion set off the environmental crisis. But several prior failed attempts to stop the leak have made BP PLC careful to keep expectations grounded.

"We're pleased with our progress," said BP senior vice president Kent Wells, who then hastened to add the operation was still expected to last up to six more days.

Asked during a conference call if the new cap and collection efforts would end the spilling of oil into the Gulf, Well said only that BP will capture all the oil "at some point."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100711/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill

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The operation can be watched live with multiple angles here: http://www.josephpalmer.com/ROV.html

(hat tip to tridim for sharing the link http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8727085&mesg_id=8727322">here)

[gateley]

1. Thanks to you and tridim for the great link! They're certainly

busy - fascinating.

[SteveM]

2. They are easily amused. nt

[CLANG]

3. So much for the LIE that they'd be capturing all the oil by Monday!

[Turborama]

4. Have you got a link to where they said they'd be capturing all the oil by Monday, please?

Thanks in advance...

[sgsmith]

6. Don't hold your breath

BP never said they'd be done by Monday. What I heard was 4 to 7 days from start of evolution.

[CLANG]

8. Your right, I was wrong. It was Thad Allen that said it.

See my post below.

ON EDIT: I take that back (partially). Bob Dudley of BP stated that it "could be contained by Monday" in another AP article.

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/07/work_starts_on_removing_oil_co.html

In a response late Friday to Allen's request for detailed plans about the new cap, the Helix Producer and the relief wells, BP managing director Bob Dudley confirmed that the leak could be contained by Monday.

But Dudley included plans for another scenario, which includes possible problems and missteps for the installation of the cap that would push the work back until Thursday.

[CLANG]

7. Several articles said this, but if you follow the links most have been replaced.

http://www.google.com/search?q=capturing+all+oil+by+monday

The two I found that still point to the original article are:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38166486/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/oil_spill/gulf-oil-spill-may-be-contained-apx-070910

Looks like this was originally from Associated Press.

[Turborama]

9. I actually posted that article in LBN

Here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4459480

BP didn't say it would be capped by Monday in it. They may have said "could" have it capped by Monday elsewhere, but I haven't seen them say they "would" anywhere.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a proponent of BP by any stretch of the imagination, quite the opposite in fact. I'm just into people getting their accusations against the enemy right. I mean, they've horrendously fucked things up enough already without us having to make things up.

[CLANG]

10. Yes, I misposted.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4460753&mesg_id=4461001

[CountAllVotes]

13. My usual "uh huh" comment was posted on that thread

I knew they wouldn't have anything accomplished by Monday! :mad:

FUCKERS!

:kick:

[Turborama]

16. Hopefully this will illicit a different comment...

Looks like things are going better this time: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8735138#8735166

[wordpix]

5. here's hoping but so far BP stands for Blaspehmous Phailure

or something

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

11. Well, hey, if they're happy, then I'm happy

After all, what's good for BP ... etc.

:hi:

[lunatica]

12. Great! We can now all go get our lives back

Especially those living on the Gulf Coast. :sarcasm:

[Cal Carpenter]

14. Can someone clarify....

Aren't there a few different places where the oil is leaking (gushing) from at this point?

I haven't been following things as closely the last few weeks, so I may not have a proper sense of what's happening. But if there is more than one leak source, then is this cap supposed to just cover the main one, or is it doing more than that?

Sorry if I sound ignorant, I sort of burnt out of the details on this disaster recently.

[wn_penguins]

15. Solution to the spill

On a far less serious note, I found http://bpfixedtheleak.com/ to be a funny look at how they can fix the leak. Honestly, I'm not holding my breath that the newest cap (the one that was supposed to be installed today) will work. Plus, collection efforts will need to be drastically increased, along with the inclusion of more independent examiners to help estimate the actual damage to the area.

[Courtesy Flush]

17. New Containment Cap In Place

Source: WKRG

NEW ORLEANS - Live underwater video shows a new cap has been placed onto the leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico, offering hope of containing the gusher for the first time since BP's deepwater rig exploded in April.

BP officials did not immedietely comment Monday evening on the video images streamed online by the company.

The company has said the next step will be running tests to make sure there are no other leaks from the well. Tests and monitoring could last from six hours to two days.

Read more: http://www.wkrg.com/gulf_oil_spill/article/new-containment-cap-in-place/905675/Jul-12-2010_6-53-pm/

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Let's hope it takes!!!

[SpiralHawk]

18. Yay

[Hawkeye-X]

19. This thread is worthless without pictures

and I want to see screencaps and clear blue water! Or at least dark blue instead of black.

[Baclava]

20. The well integrity test will be done tomorrow - we should know then if the fix will work

It ain't over yet


"To test the well's integrity, BP will gradually shut down the flow of oil and gas until the flow stops -- nothing out the top, nothing to surface ships. BP engineers and government scientists will scrutinize the pressure building in the well.

"Higher pressures are good news. They indicate that the well bore has integrity," said Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer.

If the pressure doesn't rise as expected, that will suggest that the well has been damaged below the seafloor. Suttles played down the possibility that the test could damage the well and cause leaks into the surrounding rock formation.

"The last thing you want to happen is have the well blow out and collapse around the wellhead," said Greg McCormack, director of the Petroleum Extension Service at the University of Texas. "When that happens, you have a heck of a time killing that well."

"You can think of it as this great big faucet that we're going to slowly crank down and turn off the flow and then check the pressure over a period of time," BP spokesman Steve Rinehart said Monday. The pressure readings will offer clues to what's happening out of sight, below the gulf floor, in the well bore, Rinehart said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/12/AR2010071202027.html