BP said Monday that it has successfully installed the new oil well cap, called the “Top Hat 10,” to try to stem the flow of oil that has been gushing out of a broken well in the Gulf of Mexico since April 20. The oil giant will begin integrity tests Tuesday to determine if any oil is flowing through the well casing.
If all goes according to plan, pipes connected to the new cap will then transfer the leaking oil onto nearby containment vessels. BP hopes that their latest containment strategy will recover all of the oil that is leaking from the well until work on relief wells is completed in August.
The sealing cap system also hasn’t been used before at the depths or conditions of the Deepwater Horizon, BP said, adding that the system’s “ability to contain the oil and gas cannot be assured.”
Since Transocean Ltd.’s Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank, at least 88 million gallons of oil have spilled into the Gulf, according to federal estimates.
Continue reading WSJ: BP to begin testing on newly installed oil well cap
BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill is eerily reminiscent of an incident that happened 31 years ago when the Mexican well named Ixtoc 1 blew out. The oil spewed for 10 months, says a Texas A&M University oceanographer Norman Guinassa, who has more than 40 years of experience studying the Gulf of Mexico. It was not stopped until a relief well was completed.
The Obama administration announced yesterday that the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service will be releasing new safety rules as early as Tuesday.
At least seven new permits for various types of drilling and five environmental waivers have been granted since President Obama announced a moratorium on the issuance of new drilling permits for offshore oil wells and put an end to the controversial type of environmental waiver that was given to the Deepwater Horizon rig.
