by Agence France-Presse
NEW
ORLEANS, La. – BP succeeded Sunday in capturing “some” oil and gas by
inserting a mile-long tube into the main Gulf of Mexico leak, but would not say
if it was a significant percentage of the gusher or just a few drops.
Despite
the uncertainty, it was still the first tangible sign of success in more than
three weeks of efforts to prevent at least 210,000 gallons of oil (and maybe
much more) from spewing unabated into the sea each day and feeding a
massive slick off the coast of Louisiana.
BP
Senior Executive Vice President Kent Wells refused to be specific on quantity,
but confirmed that after a temporary hitch in which the tube became dislodged
overnight, siphoning operations were up and running once again.
“We
will look to … capture as much of the oil as we can,” he told reporters
in Houston, Texas. “At this point, we don’t know what percentage we will
capture” by the process, in which the oil is sucked up as if through a
straw to a giant ship.
A
BP statement said simply that the four-inch-diameter tube inserted into the
21-inch leaking pipe using undersea robots had captured “some amounts of
oil and gas.”
Wells
added that the BP crews “don’t have any idea at this point” how much
crude is being collected and would only have a better estimate in coming days.
“The
oil was stored on board the Discoverer Enterprise drill ship 5,000 feet above
on the water’s surface, and natural gas was burned through a flare system on
board the ship,” the statement said.
The
Obama administration seemed unimpressed, however, pointing out that BP’s latest
efforts, even if they manage to slow the leak, would not permanently stop the
underwater geyser.
“This
technique is not a solution to the problem, and it is not yet clear how
successful it may be,” said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement. “We are closely
monitoring BP’s test with the hope that it will contain some of the oil, but at
the same time, federal scientists are continuing to provide oversight and
expertise to BP as they move forward with other strategies to contain the spill
and stop the flow of oil.”
Engineers
are mulling several different options to seal the main leak, which has spewed
out an estimated 5 million gallons so far, according to the most conservative
estimates, and prevent the giant slick from destroying ecologically fragile
wetlands and nature reserves.
A
relief well that would divert the flow and allow the well to be permanently
sealed may not be ready until August.
Fresh
analysis of enormous plumes of oil under the surface suggest the spill may be
far worse than previously estimated. One was reported to be 10 miles long,
three miles wide, and 300 feet thick.
Researchers
from the National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology said the plumes
were “perhaps due to the deep
injection of dispersants which BP has stated that they are
conducting.”
Response
crews have so far used some 560,000 gallons of the controversial
chemical dispersants, spraying them onto surface oil and also directly into
the leak in a bid to break up the oil.
“The
oil still exists, it’s just spread in smaller pieces,” Aaron Viles,
campaign director for the Gulf Restoration Network, a coalition of
environmental groups, told AFP. “It could have a significant impact on the
marine life of the Gulf of Mexico.”
University
of Georgia researcher Samantha Joye, who is on a scientific mission to gather
details about the looming environmental disaster, told The New York
Times that oxygen levels have dropped 30 percent near the plumes, in an
“alarming” trend that is endangering marine life.
But
Andrew Gowers, head of group media for BP, dismissed reports that
“speculate” on the giant plumes. He said officials “had no
confirmation” of oil clumping together in mid-ocean areas.
On
Sunday, a large concert in New Orleans drew crowds to support Gulf fishermen,
whose livelihoods are threatened by the oil spill, with rocker Lenny Kravitz
heading the line-up.
“This
is a catastrophe,” Kravitz told CNN television. “I love this place.
And this place has been through so much in the last several years,” he
said, referring to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. “Here we are,
getting hit again.”
Officials
said some 19,000 personnel and more than 650 vessels have been deployed to try
to mitigate the negative effects of the spill on the Gulf shoreline and
wildlife.
Meanwhile,
the U.S. Coast Guard told AFP that oil was washing ashore in at least two new
locations—Whiskey Island, La., and Long Beach, Miss.
Engineers
are mulling several different options to seal the main leak, which has spewed
out an estimated 5 million gallons so far, according to the most conservative
estimates, and prevent the giant slick from destroying ecologically fragile
wetlands and nature reserves.
A relief well that would divert the flow and
allow the well to be permanently sealed may not be ready until August.
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