While the weather still puts a hold on the actual removal of the BOP stack from BP’s Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, preparations are under way to make that removal as soon as the weather permits.

Some personal views on oil industry safety by John Westwood

BP is authorized to end the fishing procedure and to begin removing the capping stack followed by the BOP, under specific conditions set out by Admiral Thad Allen, National Incident commander for the BP Gulf of Mexico Macondo well.

BP has gotten permission to conduct a BOP fishing procedure. National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen sent BP a directive authorizing the procedure over the weekend.

The governmental science team and Admiral Thad Allen, the Deepwater Horizon Response commander, have authorized BP to replace the BOP on the Macondo well before completing the relief well.

Completion of the relief well and subsequent bottom kill of BP’s Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico is pending a decision by the federal scientific team on the way to proceed.

With the passing of the storm in the Gulf of Mexico, work on the relief well at BP’s Macondo spill site is resuming.

Drilling of the relief well at BP’s Macondo spill site in the Gulf of Mexico is on hold for weather.

The static kill of BP’s Macondo blow-out in the Gulf of Mexico is holding and there are no leaks, said Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander, and completion of the relief well is the next step.

With permission from the Deepwater Horizon Incident Command, BP has completed pumping cement into the Macondo well through the containment cap and is holding pressure on the cement pending a final pressure test scheduled sometime today.

The “vast majority” of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico at the Macondo well is either evaporated, burned, skimmed, recovered, or dispersed says a government report.

The crew of Blue Dolphin and the HOS Centerline pump mud through lines to the Q4000

The Macondo well has reached a static condition reports BP.

After two rounds of testing, the US Environmental Protection Agency says the dispersant used at the Macondo oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had no “biologically significant endocrine disrupting activity.”

The Q4000 is in the process of turning around to pump materials downhole rather than receive production, said Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander at the BP Macondo spill in the Gulf of Mexico, at a press conference this afternoon.

South Florida, the Keys, and the East Coast are not likely to see any effects of oil from the Deepwater Horizon/BP spill that remains on the Gulf of Mexico, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Casing is running into the relief well with cementing to follow, and that will set the stage for an attempted static kill at the Deepwater Horizon/BP blowout site in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander.

With work resuming at BP’s Macondo oil spill site in the Gulf of Mexico, plans for the actual well kill are coming together.

Work has resumed on drilling the relief wells at BP’s Macondo spill site in the Gulf of Mexico.

Weather predominates the scene at the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico according to Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has reopened 26,388 sq mi (68,345 sq km) of Gulf of Mexico waters to commercial and recreational fishing today.

The threat of Tropical Storm Bonnie in the Gulf of Mexico has pushed Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander at BP’s Macondo well to halt operations and for the vessels onsite to prepare to move away.

A plan to organize the non-profit Marine Well Containment Co., a rapid response system to capture and contain oil from a subsea blowout, is under way among Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Shell.

Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander, has directed BP to extend for another 24 hours the testing of the containment cap at the Macondo well.

As of this morning, the newly installed cap at BP’s Macondo well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico is holding pressure, according to reports from the National Incident Command.