Offshore staff
ROBERT, Louisiana -- BP says it is capturing an estimated 3,000 b/d of oil using its subsea riser insertion tube tool at the Gulf of Mexico oil spill site. The process also collects about 14 MMcf/d of natural gas which is flared.
Work is ongoing to plan the "top kill" injection of drilling fluid to stop the flow and subsequent cementing to seal the well.
BP says it also continues to look at ways to use the BOP to halt the flow, and that drilling is progressing on two relief wells.
At the surface, dispersant application and skimming continue.The Environmental Protection Agency has directed BP to identify and use a less toxic alternative to the dispersant now in use both on the surface and at the source. The dispersant that has been used is on the EPA list of approved dispersants, but the EPA is concerned about the volume of the material and its reaction to underwater use. This is the first time such an underwater application has been tried in this circumstance.
05/20/2010
