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BP Says Progress Made on New Oil Leak Cap

   VOA News 11 July 2010
   Capping stack BOP will attach to well bore to be able to stop flow and
   divert  to vessels. This capping stack has been under construction for
   approx 2 months at the Cameron facility in Berwick, LA.

Photo: BP

   Capping stack BOP will attach to well bore to be able to stop flow and
   divert  to vessels. This capping stack has been under construction for
   approx 2 months at the Cameron facility in Berwick, LA.

   Oil  company  BP  says  it  is  making  progress  in  installing a new
   containment  cap  over an undersea well spewing massive amounts of oil
   into the Gulf of Mexico.
   BP said Sunday it is lowering what it called a transition spool onto a
   leaking  pipe  that  must be bolted into place before it can connect a
   giant funnel, called a capping stack.
   The  company  says  the new containment system will take four to seven
   days  to  install  and  will  allow  ships  on  the surface to capture
   virtually  all  of  the  leaking  oil.  It says a new containment ship
   called the Helix Producer will begin capturing some oil later Sunday.
   BP  began  the  operation  Saturday  by  removing  a previous cap that
   loosely covered the leak and allowed the company to siphon some oil to
   surface  ships.  The  cap's removal released a torrent of oil into the
   water that is expected to continue until the new cap is in place.
   The  spill  is  the  largest  ever  in U.S. waters. It has fouled huge
   expanses  of  the  U.S.  Gulf  coast,  wreaked  havoc on birds and sea
   creatures, and devastated U.S. fishing, tourism and other industries.
   The  administrator  of  a  $20  billion  BP fund to help affected Gulf
   residents  says  the  company  is speeding up the processing of damage
   claims.  Ken  Feinberg says BP will offer eligible claimants a payment
   equivalent  to  six months' worth of losses rather than month-by-month
   payments.
   BP  has  been  drilling two relief wells to permanently plug the leak,
   but  the  first well is not expected to be ready until mid-August. The
   leak  began  after an explosion destroyed oil rig BP was operating and
   killed 11 workers.
   U.S.  Attorney  General Eric Holder said Sunday the Justice Department
   has  started  interviewing  witnesses  as part of a criminal and civil
   investigation of the oil spill.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
   
   ****[1]Live feeds from ROV

References

   1. http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/incident_response/STAGING/local_assets/html/OceanInterventionROV1.html

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