Flow of Oil Halted for First Time Since April [Updated]
What's missing from this picture? Oil. Photo: BP
This Doesn't Mean We're Out of the Woods (Yet)
As announced earlier today, BP has started the pressure test on the leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. While the test is running, the flow of oil is stopped, something that hasn't happened since April. Engineers are now monitoring the pressure coming out of the well; If it stays high, this means that the well is probably intact and has maintained its physical integrity despite all the SNAFUs. If it drops, there's probably another leak somewhere underground, making things much more complicated from now on. We'll have to wait a few more hours to find out which it is... And even if it worked, it's far from over ( as Philippe Cousteau says). Read on for more details.
The stoppage came 85 days, 16 hours and 25 minutes after the first report April 20 of an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that killed 11 workers and triggered the spill.
Between 95 million and 185 million gallons of crude oil have already spilled into the Gulf, according to government estimates.
Update: As of Friday morning at around 8:45 AM, BP says that "it is encouraged by results [of the pressure test] so far". Kent Wells, BP's vice president, says the pressure is good inside the new cap. But the tests aren't over...
The current test is scheduled to take place in 6-hour increments for 48 hours. Engineers are remotely monitoring the cap for pressure changes and watching for signs of leaks.
If all goes well, the tests could wrap up Saturday afternoon.
Via HuffPo
More on BP Oil Spill
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