Deepwater Horizon: BP updates oil spill response effort
Offshore staff
HOUSTON -- BP says it is continuing to work with the U.S. Coast Guard and other federal agencies and contractors to safely and effectively stop oil flowing from the Mississippi Canyon 252 well and to minimize its environmental impact.
The company claims to be doing everything in its power to eliminate the source of the leak and to contain the spill’s environmental impact of the spill.
Over 2,500 people are working in the response effort following the sinking of the Transocean drilling rig Deepwater Horizon. BP’s team of operational and technical specialists is also cooperating with many federal, state and local government agencies, organizations and companies.
The company, the U.S. Coast Guard and other Federal government agencies have liaised with governors, homeland security and emergency preparedness and environmental protection staff from Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Texas.
BP adds that project-specific coastal protection and spill response plans are being implemented consistent with national, regional and state oil spill response plans already in place, with input on priority locations from state and local specialists.
Onshore preparations are also being stepped up in case the escaping oil reaches the coast. BP says it is making plans for a major protection and clean-up effort on the shorelines of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
A boom is being deployed, with staging taking place from East of Bolivar in Texas to Tampa. In addition to the incident command post in Robert, Louisiana, the company is establishing a further incident command post in Mobile to oversee the onshore response in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
BP says that thousands of volunteers are offering their help, and they are viewed as a critical component of a proactive response to the oil spill. Volunteers are clearing the beaches of existing debris, which should improve clean-up operations if the spill reached the shoreline and sand.
BP stresses that it shoulders responsibility for responding to the incident, and will pay all necessary and appropriate clean-up costs.
|The company is committed to paying what it calls legitimate and objectively verifiable claims for other loss and damage caused by the spill - this may include claims for assessment, mitigation and clean up, property damage, and commercial losses including loss of earnings/profit and other losses as contemplated by applicable laws and regulations.
BP has established a Claims Line for oil spill-related claims. The toll-free number for the Claims Line is 1-800-440-0858, and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
05/03/2010