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BP: Oil Leak Not Stopped Yet, But Efforts Continue

   VOA News 27 May 2010
   US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, 24 May 2010

Photo: AP

   US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, 24 May 2010

   An  official  with  the  energy company BP says a new effort to plug a
   massive  oil  leak  in  the  Gulf of Mexico is proceeding according to
   plan, but said the leak has not yet been stopped.
   BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles says the procedure will try to
   stop  the  oil  leak by pumping mud-like heavy fluids into the well to
   combat  the  flow,  then  using cement to seal it off. The company has
   stopped  pumping  operations  to  restock fluids and will resume later
   Thursday  night.  Suttles said if the leak continues, the company may
   have to try to use even heavier mud, or try a so-called "junk shot" in
   which  golf  balls and pieces of rubber will be injected into the well
   head at high speeds.
   U.S.  Coast  Guard  Rear  Admiral  Mary  Landry says the well has been
   leaking  12,000  to 19,000 barrels of oil a day, making it the biggest
   oil spill in U.S. history.
   The  U.S.  official  overseeing  the cleanup, Coast Guard Admiral Thad
   Allen,  said  the  new  procedure to stop the leak could take 24 to 36
   hours.   He  called  the  leak  "catastrophic" and said officials are
   reviewing reports of illness among cleanup workers.

   [1]Watch/Listen  to President Obama's press conference on the Gulf oil
   spill
   Earlier  Thursday,  U.S. President Barack Obama said the government is
   in  charge  of efforts to stop the oil leak, countering criticism that
   his administration has not been engaged.

   Mr.  Obama  said  Thursday BP, which operated the well and is handling
   efforts  to  plug  it,  is under federal direction.  He said he takes
   full  responsibility  for  shutting  the well down and cleaning up the
   spill,  and  that  BP  will  be  held held accountable for causing the
   disaster.
   An  oil  rig  exploded in the Gulf on April 20, killing 11 workers and
   rupturing the undersea well.
   In  response to the oil spill, Mr. Obama said he is extending a ban on
   new   deepwater   oil   projects  for  six  months  to  prevent  other
   disasters.   The  move  will also suspend applications for Arctic oil
   drilling off the coast of Alaska.
   Frustration  with  BP  and  the government's response has risen as oil
   washes  up  on  southern  coastlines,  endangering  wildlife  and  the
   commercial fishing industry.
   U.S.  officials  have  closed 20 percent of federal fishing grounds in
   the  Gulf of Mexico as a result of the spill.  Fishermen in the state
   of  Louisiana  are  pressing  BP  to compensate them for the losses to
   their businesses.
   President Obama is expected to visit the Gulf region on Friday.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

References

   1. http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/special-reports/Gulf-of-Mexico-Oil-Spill--95017899.html

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