BP hopes to cap flow 'within 24 hours'

[Cali_Democrat]

BP hopes to contain the spill from its leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico within 24 hours, its chief operating officer, Doug Suttles, has said.

An operation using undersea robots to cut off the fractured pipe and seal it with a cap was launched on Tuesday.

It comes as US President Barack Obama threatened legal action against those responsible for the leak.

Mr Suttles said: "If everything goes well, within the next 24 hours we could have this contained."

But, striking a note of caution, he stressed that success was not guaranteed and urged people to "remember this is being done in 5,000 feet of water, and very small issues take a long time to fix".

The oil giant's shares fell sharply on Tuesday after the failure of its previous efforts to "top kill" the leak by pumping mud into the well.

At one stage the share price hit its lowest level for 15 months as stock markets digested the news that the US was "prepared for the worst scenario" that the leak might not be stopped before August.

Read more at link...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10198201.stm

[Wickerman]

1. I hope to win the lottery in the next 24 hours

Somehow, I have the same confidence level that neither will occur. Oh, and did I mention I don't play the lottery?

[Duer 157099]

2. BP also hopes to invent a time machine

And I'll bet their chances of success at that is about the same

[Ex Lurker]

3. they gave a 60-70% chance of success for Top Kill too

despite every non BP-affiliated industry professional saying it didn't have a snowball's chance in hell. I've been watching their antics on the live feed today. First, they tried cutting the riser with a pair of giant shears, but only succeeded in crumpling it. They they tried cutting it with a rotary saw. I quit watching when the ROV operator dropped the saw. A circus run by clowns.

[CountAllVotes]

4. clowns ...

[BeFree]

8. Did you see the ROVs crash like bumper cars?

BP now sees an economic advantage in capping this thing since the stock price going down has evaporated @60 billion. And how much BP stock do BP executives have? I bet they never imagined they could lose so much.

[luvspeas]

5. yeah and monkeys just flew out of my ass!

n/t

[Swamp Rat]

6. So they can leave, divest, and go hide their blood money in a shallow grave.

[BOG PERSON]

7. If hopes and wishes were loaves and fishes