Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Coast Guard Says More Oil Being Contained from Leaking Well VOA News 05 June 2010 A bird flies over oil trapped in booms at Cat Island in Barataria Bay off the Louisiana Coast, 4 Jun 2010 Photo: AP A bird flies over oil trapped in booms at Cat Island in Barataria Bay off the Louisiana Coast, 4 Jun 2010 U.S. Coast Guard Officials say the containment cap placed over a leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is capturing more oil and diverting it to a production vessel on the surface. ROV (remote operated vehicle) control room on board the Transocean Discoverer Enterprise, 02 Jun 2010 BP p.l.c. ROV (remote operated vehicle) control room on board the Transocean Discoverer Enterprise, 02 Jun 2010 Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen told reporters Saturday that oil company BP captured 6,000 barrels of oil from the leaking well in the first 24 hours since the cap was placed on the well. BP estimates roughly 19,000 barrels are leaking from the well each day. Allen says oil continues to flow from open vents on the containment cap. He says the oil company hopes to close the vents as soon as it can stabilize pressure in the pipe leading to the surface. In his weekly address Saturday U.S. President Barack Obama said he will fight alongside communities hurt by the oil spill until the crisis has been resolved. In his address, Mr. Obama outlined the U.S. government's efforts to contain and clean up the millions of liters of oil that have started to damage the coast. Mr. Obama's comments came after he traveled to the southern state of Louisiana Friday to review energy giant BP's efforts to stop the oil from spewing from a well. Mr. Obama says it appears since BP placed a cap over the well, that, while there has been progress in containing the oil, the leak will not completely stop until BP has finished drilling relief wells, expected to be completed in August. The president says about 2,000 ships are working to clean up the spill, while more than 1,300 kilometers of barriers have been set up to protect the coast. Mr. Obama says he has authorized the deployment of 17,500 National Guard troops to help contain the oil spill.  He is scheduled to meet next week with the families of 11 workers who were killed when a BP oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in April. Since then, the well has gushed thousands of barrels of crude every day. The spill has spread throughout the Gulf, with oil covering birds and other wildlife. The spill threatens to devastate the region's fishing industry. The U.S. government has sent BP a $69 million bill for spill-related costs to date. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. .