BP prepares back-up plan to plug leaking Gulf of Mexico well
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
NEW YORK, May 25 (Bloomberg): BP Plc outlined a contingency plan should an attempt to plug a leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico using heavy liquids fail.
The equipment needed for the "top kill" operation, in which heavy drilling fluids are injected into the well to stop the flow of oil and gas, is ready to be deployed in the next few days, BP said in a statement. If that fails, it will consider replacing the damaged riser pipe at the well to contain the spill and lowering a second blow-out preventer to the seabed.
Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward said yesterday the chances of "top kill" success are 60 per cent to 70 per cent. He said BP will clean up "every drop" of oil as the Environmental Protection Agency ordered the company to reduce the amount of dispersant chemicals it's using to break up the oil.
UST government officials are increasing pressure on BP in the face of criticism that they have been too lax in their oversight of the company's response.
The equipment needed for the "top kill" operation, in which heavy drilling fluids are injected into the well to stop the flow of oil and gas, is ready to be deployed in the next few days, BP said in a statement. If that fails, it will consider replacing the damaged riser pipe at the well to contain the spill and lowering a second blow-out preventer to the seabed.
Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward said yesterday the chances of "top kill" success are 60 per cent to 70 per cent. He said BP will clean up "every drop" of oil as the Environmental Protection Agency ordered the company to reduce the amount of dispersant chemicals it's using to break up the oil.
UST government officials are increasing pressure on BP in the face of criticism that they have been too lax in their oversight of the company's response.