BP captures half of leaking oil with 'cap'
Updated on 06 June 2010
BP said it had captured 10,500 barrels of oil in 24 hours since fitting a cap to the ruptured pipe causing the vast oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as Simon Boxall of the National Oceanography Centre, writing for Channel 4 News, says the oil giant needs to be left alone to deal with the spill.
10,500 barrels - around 1.67 million litres - represents around half of the oil which is leaking daily, according to the highest estimates.
The cap was fitted onto the pipe, which began leaking after an explosion on 20 April, on Friday.
Its aim is to funnel away the oil to the surface rather than see it continue to leak into the ocean.
It is the first of BP's attempts to deal with the crisis to make a substantial, positive difference - a fact which will please beleagured BP chief executive Tony Hayward, who has faced major criticism for his handling of the leak.
President Barack Obama has said he is "furious" about the entire situation, yesterday adding: "These folks work hard, they meet their responsibilities. But now, because of a man made catastrophe, one that is not their fault and is beyond their control, their lives have been thrown into turmoil. It's brutally unfair, and it's wrong."
Simon Boxall of the National Oceanography Centre says bashing BP is not the answer
We can only plan so far for such a disaster, the reality often throws up unexpected curved balls.
BP is as much the victim as the guilty party. They have said from the outset that they will pay all costs for stopping the leak, for clean up, and compensation for those affected – and are one of the few companies worldwide who could afford to.
The jury is still out as to where actual blame lies.
With Transocean the rig owner and operator, with the company who designed and built the BOP that failed - both US companies incidentally?
The list is extensive.
It is also worth remembering that the oil in the Gulf was for the US domestic market and that substantial taxes from oil licences go into the US purse.
Let us not bash BP too much just yet, and let them get on with the difficult and challenging task in hand.
For more from Simon Boxall
Hayward said: "We are optimizing the operation. We have a further containment system to implement in the course of this coming week which will be in place by next weekend. So when these two are in place we would very much hope to be containing the vast majority of the oil."
However US Coastguard Admiral Thad Allen said that celebrations would be premature.
"We're making the right progress," he said. "I don't think anybody should be pleased as long as there's oil in the water."
Channel 4 News's Carl Dinnen said: "So the cap lowered over the failed blowout preventer starts to look like a success. Although how much of one depends on which end of the US coastguard's leak estimates is right.
"They think it is somwhere between 12 and 25 thousand barrels a day.
"But with up to 48 million barels possibly already in the Gulf, anxious local officials want BP to bring in more dedicated oil skimmers."
