Gulf oil spill 'five times' larger than estimated

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US coastguard says 5,000 barrels a day of oil are spewing from a well beneath site of the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, reports BBC.
Five times more oil a day than previously believed is spewing into the Gulf of Mexico from the blown-out well of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, the US coastguard has said.
Coastguard Rear Admiral Mary Landry said National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) experts now estimate that 5,000 barrels a day of oil are spilling into the gulf - far more than the previous estimate of 1,000 barrels a day. Robot submarines have so far failed to shut off the flow, 1,500m (5,000ft) below the surface, but the coastguard said a test burn on an isolated area of the spill was successful.
The revision came after a new leak was discovered and strong winds were forecast which NOAA said would push the oil towards the US shoreline.
However Doug Suttle, chief operating officer for BP, disputed the new estimates yesterday, pointing to a diagram that plotted the leaks and saying he did not believe the amount of oil spilling into the water was higher than earlier approximations.
Landry stuck to the NOAA estimate and said it was based on aerial surveys, study of the trajectory of the oil slick and other factors.
Landry added that the US president, Barack Obama, had been briefed on the revised estimate, and said the government had offered to have the defence department help contain the spill and protect the US shoreline and wildlife.
Both Landry and BP said the first test burn had been successful, although neither gave any indication as to when further burns were planned.
Crews had planned to use a 150m fire-resistant boom to collect several thousand gallons of the thickest oil on the surface, tow it to a remote area, set it on fire, and allow it to burn for about an hour. When the flames go out hardened tar is left in the water, which can be removed using nets or skimmers.
The oil spill response team had recovered 16,311 barrels (2.5m litres) of an oil-water mix, and 69 response vessels were being used, the company added.